The Brunette Butcher
by RMNicki
Summary: When the city of Toronto is plagued with possibly one of the most deadly serial killers in history, Team One is called in to help. But at the end of the tunnel, when fatality statistics are added up... Will team one be counting one or maybe even more of their own? Is their going to be a light at the end of this tunnel?
1. Who Are They?

_**~*~**_  
_**Hey guys, so I'm watching Criminal Minds right about now and had a random inspiration from an episode! So, here we go, hope you enjoy!**_  
_**Disclaimer: I do not own Flashpoint or Criminal Minds or their plot lines, sadly, of course, but I hope you enjoy my story all the same!  
Oh...and I don't know if the FBI exists in Canada, but in this story it does, just thought I would let you know;)**_  
_**Love it, Like it, Rate it, Review it!**_  
_**~*~**_

"Team One, I need you at the front desk immediately." They heard Winnie's voice over the intercom. They all looked at each other, confused at first before leaving the training ground. They walked back into the SRU building, and to her desk.  
"What is it Winnie? Do we need to suit up?" Ed asked.  
"No. Not just yet." She said quietly, she nodded towards the briefing room. There were three people inside, two they didn't recognize. One male and one female, each had a badge on their belt, the other was Sarge. He seemed to be in a touchy conversation with them.  
The team looked back towards Winnie, "Who are they?" Sam asked.  
"They're from the FBI, they need your help. They haven't disclosed any information to me, but they do want to speak with you."  
Sarge looked towards them, and motioned them over.  
They gave each other confused looks once more before walking over to the briefing room.  
"Team One, this is Daniel Michaels, and Valerie Caleb from the FBI." He said addressing them formally. Each of the team took turns shaking their hands, introducing themselves.  
Sarge nodded to the seats, and he and the team sat, and looked to the two agents standing in front of them.  
The man started first, "As you know Agent Caleb and I are from the FBI, lately we have been profiling and taking note of a number of missing persons files here in Toronto. It was brought to our attention recently by a man who will remain unnamed for now…he drove into a checkpoint building." The team's eyes widened in surprise. "Right now, we have five known victims, all women."  
They turned to the screen and ten different pictures popped up in front of them, and Agent Caleb spoke,  
"It wasn't brought to our attention until recently. Each of these young women were homeless and or working the streets, except for two. These next pictures…we see things like them often…I don't know if…." They two agents looked towards Sarge, and he nodded, and turned to the team,  
"These next pictures are…disturbing, are you guys up to seeing them?"  
"We can handle it Sarge." Jules said quietly.  
He nodded, and looked back to the agents, who in turn clicked the next button on the control.  
It was silent as the team took in the pictures on the screen…severed body parts.  
"We've found remnants of bodies. And working up the numbers, overall there are about five separate matches to the missing women. They were swiped clean of any remaining DNA of their attacker by a chemical concoction that each body was immersed in, post-mortem. If our profile is correct…We believe Toronto may be dealing with a serial killer."  
"You don't have any possible suspects yet?" Wordy asked.  
"Not yet. The profile is still somewhat new. But based on our recent information, we found it pointless to involve street authorities. When we _do_ manage to track down our real killer, we would like for the best team in Toronto to be at our backs." Michaels said.  
"How many victims do you think have been involved overall up till recently?" Sam asked.  
Agent Caleb sighed, "So far, we aren't sure, but tracking backwards a few years and based on his patterns now…we're thinking number-wise, statistics could go up to about 25 women, ranging from ages sixteen to forty."  
"Are there any similarities between them?"

"We're narrowing it down, but so far, if each woman here is involved in the case sixty percent of them had brown hair and an array of brown to blue eyes."  
Sam looked towards Jules but only for a fraction of a second, and she held in a sigh.  
"And, right now, it's crucial in the investigation that we are ready…because, we are pretty sure we're dealing with a serial killer who is lethally violent. So, far it hasn't been confirmed but the two women you saw weren't homeless …about 3 years ago when they went after a suspected man, he abducted and murdered two of the female officers we took with us. Since then, the case went cold due to the unsub going dormant." Agent Caleb informed them. "Now, he's sped up, it's a new woman almost every week." The glance towards Jules didn't go unnoticed. "He's unstable, unpredictable."  
"We figured, with the experience you all have that –if you agree- you could help us and then later on, if we have the best of luck that you'll be with us when we track him down. There's no one else better fit for the job…So?" Agent Michaels asked.

"Would you mind letting me speak to them?" Sarge asked, and the agents nodded, and he led them to the door and punched in the code that opened the metal door, then turned back to the team, and sat down.

"What do you guys think?"

"If we don't do it, who will?" Spike asked.

Sarge nodded, "He killed two cops."

"And, he'll kill more. We're the best Sarge, and some of the best trained." Ed said.

"Guys…" Sam said, the tone of his voice caught there attention and they all looked to him, he was staring at the table. Something was in his eyes that put them on edge.

"What is it Sam?"

"The stuff, they're describing…" He shook his head and sighed, "It's not the same as the pictures they're showing us. I've-I've seen it. In Kandahar." He ran his hands over his face, "It's gruesome, it can be traumatizing. I saw plenty of them, bodies blown to pieces. Some of them I knew, and I'm lucky – extremely lucky to have made it out without any mental disturbances."

There was a slight pause as they took in the information and the look of Sam's pained face.

"Can you handle this Sam?" Ed asked. Sam looked up for the first time,

"Yes. It's not me I'm worried about." He replied, and looked around the table, meaningfully.

"You mean us." Jules said gently.

"Yes." He replied.

"If it's not us, it will be someone else." Spike said, looking at him.

Sam swallowed, "Yeah."

"This job is about risk Sam. Our city needs us. And, right now, you've had the most experience in these kinds of situations, so I'll ask you. Should we take this case?"

Sam looked up, "You're asking me?"

Sarge nodded.

Sam ran his hands over his face.

"We'll be the most likely to get through this unharmed, mentally and physically." He said more to himself than anyone else. "We should take it. We're the most qualified." He finished.

Ed nodded, "I'll get the agents."

"Once we're close, we'd like if you were on standby…no hot calls during that time until the search."

"Alright." Sarge said, "You'll let us know when the time period begins?"

"Definitely." Agent Michaels replied, "We'll let you know. You're operator has given us all of your contacts. They'll be under a confidentiality file, and no one will be able to reach them. Thank you. For your help in this."

They all nodded, and Sarge shook the agents hands.

"Thank you agents. We'll be waiting for your call."

They gave polite nods and left the room.

;) More to come, I promise!


	2. Always

~~~  
Hey guys, so I forgot to mention this in the first chapter, this all happens (in my mind) after Personal Effects when Jules and Sam's relationship is still a secret.  
Hope you guys enjoy!  
~~~

**  
Later that night (Sam & Jules)

She walked into her house, Sam in tow. She knew she was avoiding the inevitable by changing the subject whenever they broached the subject of the women that had been violated in the investigation that Team One was now involved in.

"Jules." Sam said, her attempts at evading the subject were easily picked up by him.  
"Mhm? She asked, pretending to be distracted as she walked towards the kitchen. Sam sighed, and she gasped in surprise as he grabbed her around the waist, and threw them both onto the couch, her secured in an inescapable grasp on his lap.

She groaned and laid her head back against the front of his shoulder. She didn't bother fighting him, although she definitely wanted to.  
"Why?" She sighed.  
He chuckled, "Why do you think, Jules?"  
She pursed her lips stubbornly, and refused to speak,  
She had a pretty good idea of what was about to happen, and it didn't shock her as much as his initial ambush had when he moved from beneath her and suddenly through her to the seat of the couch. Her back pressed to the cushions, his hands pinned hers to either side of her head and intoxicatingly so, his knee was propped between her thighs. And, he smiled secretively when he saw the effect it had on her. She swallowed back her emotions and put on a poker face.  
"Maybe…it has to do with how physically similar you are to all those victims."  
"I am not." She argued.  
"I beg to differ,"  
He smirked, and ran his free hand through her curly brown hair.  
"The hair…" He sighed, leaned down and ran the tip of his nose up the bridge of hers and he could tell she'd stopped breathing, "Your brown eyes."  
"That's only two things." She whispered, trying to hide her breathlessness.  
"Being you're the only woman on the team, it's two things too many." He said, and kissed the side of her jaw, she let out a strangled breath.  
He met her eyes again, "Just be careful."  
She could see he was actually genuinely worried.  
She leaned up and pressed her lips to his, "Always."

The team was just walking in from the conclusion of a hot call where a gambling addict mother had been abducted and forced to gamble to fill a debt her captor owed in order to obtain the release of her family.

"Hey, Guys!" Winnie called, attracting their attention, they walked over to her desk,

"Hey Winnie, what's up?" Spike asked.

"So, those agents you guys talked to a few days ago? Their team has dug up some new information on the suspect and they'd like you to video chat them at the first chance you get."

"Thanks, Winnie." He said, and they walked over to the briefing room.

"Let's do debrief first, then we'll get ahold of them. Something tells me it won't be pretty."

There was an array of muttered agreements before they walked in and shut the doors.

Debrief went fast, or so it seemed, and soon enough Spike was connecting the live feed to the wall set.

It didn't take the FBI team to answer,

"If it isn't the famous Team One of Toronto." Agent Colby said, and then proceeded to introduce the two teams.

"Have you guys found anything else?" Sarge asked.

Agent Colby sighed, and her demeanor changed, "Yes. We have. Darren?" and she stepped back and sat.

Another man stepped forward, and he nodded politely,

"So our unsub has-"

"Unsub?" Wordy asked.

"Oh, right, sorry. Unsub means unknown subject, so a suspect."

"Anyways, our unsub has sent us a video. Which, of course is far outside of the profile we've formed. But, it isn't unheard of. We believe it's a taunt, a mechanism for him to try and prove his power and control over us. But, it also gives us some really good insight into his current mind set. We have the video now, and whether you watch it or not is your choice, it's gruesome. He's escalated, and we think, not only is he expressing his control over the situation, but it's a threat to tell us to keep away, which we interpret as meaning we're close. Closer than he's comfortable with, but guys…he's smart, cunning…and…"

"What is it?" Ed asked, his brow furrowed in confusion.

The agent sighed, "There's a picture at the end, and a threat. I think he knows more about your team than we originally thought."

"Thank you agent." Sarge said perplexed, and the agent nodded,

"Oh. Sergeant. We'd appreciate it if you all went on stand-by for now."

Sarge nodded, "Of course."

"Thank you."

Then they signed off.

"I've got the video Sarge, are we going to watch it?"

"That's up to all of you."

"If it gets to be too much, Boss…" Ed said, "But I'm pretty sure we can handle it."

There was an array of muttered agreements, and they sat down to start the video.

It started out with a man, his face was blurred so you couldn't see him, but he was big…and built. The girl was screaming in the background.  
_PLEEEASE! SOMEONE HELP ME! SOMEONE PLEEEASE!  
_Looking past him, the team could see her in the background, she was tied, bound with rope her hands and feet.  
Jules watched her, being the only female in the room, she related easier. But what really made her sick was that this girl was…young. Maybe about 15 or 16.  
The man sighed, _Here goes nothing, hope you enjoy coppers._ He snarled.

He walked back over to the girl and she screamed,  
He ripped a piece of duct tape from the role and forcefully taped her mouth shut. She screamed repeatedly and he hit her, hard.

He grabbed her ankles and yanked her away from the wall, and dragged her out. Jules felt bile rise in her throat, and the team couldn't keep their eyes on the screen as the man brutally raped her.

He grabbed a saw, she was barely conscious,

The team could hardly keep their eyes on the screen, but when she first lost her arm from the elbow down, she re-awoke and screamed and screamed, then passed out.

"I don't think we need to see it all." Sarge said and began to fast forward through it. Jules had her hand over her mouth, and she felt like she was going to be sick.

She looked at Sam, and he was pale and looked uneasy. He looked like he could pass out, she nearly said something. But at the last second, he shook his head at her, a gentle look in his eyes. She gave him a look that promised they'd be talking later and he inwardly sighed.

"Alright." Sarge said. The screen was blank, but only for a moment, then a picture popped up.

The team froze, and silence filled the room.

"Son of a bitch." Sarge growled.

They all looked to Jules, whom was just peeling her eyes from the screen, where 2 pictures were. One of her getting out of her car at her house, and another of her from a couple days ago on a hot call.

"You." Sarge said, pointing at her, and she met his eyes. "Protective Custody."

"Sarge!" She said.

"No. Jules, that wasn't a request. Did you just see what he did to that girl? What if that had been you?"

Jules leaned back in her seat and put her hand on her face, he was right…

_What if the night he got the picture of me at the house, he had taken action?_

Part of her wanted to say she could take him, but could she really? This man was…well, big, and handled the girl just now…brutally and well.

_Could this get any worse?_

_**_**  
**_**(; More to come!**_


	3. You're Next

_**~~~  
Hey guys, hope you like this chapter! ;)  
Love it, Like it, Rate it, Review it!  
~~~**_

"When will protective custody be here to pick her up?" Wordy asked.  
"Cuz, we all know Jules…" Spike added on.  
"Jerk." She said half-heartedly.  
Sarge smiled slightly, "8:30, I'll be here with her until then. She won't be running off."  
"God, guys. I don't need a baby-sitter!" She protested.  
Sam smiled and looked at the ground, inconspicuously and she had to fight the urge to hit him.  
The rest of the guys said tired goodbyes and left. All of this happening was taxing. Of course, they weren't going to back out, but it was stressful none the less, and now one of their own was in danger. Sam pretended to leave with them, but came back in after they were gone. Jules of course was arguing with Sarge about having to go into protective custody. But, upon seeing him come back in she smiled thoughtfully,  
"What if I stay with Sam?"  
Sarge looked over to him, and sighed, "Sam?"  
Sam shrugged, "Of course."  
Sarge seemed to think for a second, "Chances are Jules, if he was able to figure out that this team was chipping in, then _proceed_ to practically stalk you down, he probably knows about Sam as well." He looked at the two of them, "If you stay together rather than you go to protective custody, I want you to stay somewhere, like a hotel until this is cleared up. You should probably take a bus," He sighed and closed his eyes, "Guys, just be careful."  
Jules put her hand on his arm, "We'll be alright, Boss."  
Sam nodded but didn't speak, and this time they looked towards him,  
"You're being uncharacteristically quiet, Sam." Sarge observed.  
Sam looked up at them, and cleared his throat, "I'm good. Just tired."  
Sarge looked at Jules, and she nodded,  
"Oh no…" Sam breathed.  
"Looks like this may benefit you both." Sarge said, and walked towards the door, "Jules. You stay safe. Sam. _You_, talk."  
"Copy that." Sam said, "Yes sir." Jules replied, and they looked at each other and smiled.  
"Good night, guys." Sarge said exasperatedly, and left.  
They walked towards the door quietly, and Sam opened the door,

(Fair warning, this part gets a little risky when it comes to their character personas.;)  
"After you." He smiled tauntingly. She hesitated in the doorway.  
"Oh, so I'm a lady now?" She asked dubiously.  
He gave her a fake bewildered look, "Weren't you always?"  
"The things you did a couple nights ago proved different." She smiled innocently, and proceeded out the door.  
He swatted her,  
"Maybe so, but last time I checked, you were a lady; you know, an less you're hiding something."

She laughed as they headed down to his bike, as they entered a comfortable silence. She could tell easily though that something was wrong with him, and he must have caught her look.  
"Let's go work our asses off to avoid a guy who's uprooting our lives." Sam said sarcastically and she put her hand on his arm and gave him a squeeze.  
"Don't think you've distracted me, we _are_ talking later."  
"Yeah." He sighed, "I figured."  
They then got on the bus they'd been waiting for and fell into a comfortable silence once again.

~~~  
They bought a few simple necessities at a nearby cheap store with cash so they couldn't be tracked then made their way to a reasonably acceptable hotel.  
She'd crawled into bed next to him without even taking a glance at the other bed, and he sighed,  
"Talk to me Sam." She ordered softly.  
She traced patterns on his bare stomach with her fingers and he shivered,  
"Okay, okay." He sighed, "I'm alright. Really. That video, just…got to me."  
"Why?" She asked gently,  
He closed his eyes tightly and he tightened his grip on her, "I saw too much in Kandahar, girls being subjected to that kind of abuse. It's sick."  
_Oh…my Sam. _She thought sadly.  
"Yes. It is. And, we do everything we can, every day, to fix that. There's nothing more we can offer. You of all people should know that."  
His body was still tense, but he sighed, "I know."  
She leaned up slightly and kissed his biceps, and slowly trailed the soft kisses up to his neck.  
"No. You don't, but one day you will. I promise you that." She vowed.  
Then she planted a kiss right below his jaw, then pressed her lips to his, and he groaned softly,  
"Jules, you keep doing that, and we won't be getting any sleep." He said, slipping his hand beneath her camisole.  
She laughed quietly, but what she was about to say was interrupted by the sound of her phone going off, she groaned in frustration and turned to grab it.  
She picked it up and read the text message, then sat up quickly and read it again, as her breath caught in her throat.  
"Jules. Jules, what is it?" He asked, following suit, he took her phone from her frozen fingers, and on the screen was a picture of his house and a text below it,  
_You've outsmarted me, my dear. But, that's alright, I'll have my moment. Believe me. I'm a patient man.  
__**You're next.**_

~~  
_**Sooo?  
~**_


	4. Little Surprises

_**~  
Hey Guys, I hope you enjoy this chapter! It's JAM-my (; Anyways, let me know what you guys think!  
Review:  
**__"Jules. Jules, what is it?" He asked, following suit, he took her phone from her frozen fingers, and on the screen was a picture of his house and a text below it, _

_You've outsmarted me, my dear. But, that's alright, I'll have my moment. Believe me. I'm a patient man._

_**You're next.  
~**_

Jules put her hands to her mouth, and tears were in her eyes.  
"Hey… Jules." Sam said gently catching a look at her face. "You're safe, you're alright."  
She looked up at him, her eyes wide, "It's not me I'm worried about Sam!"  
His brow furrowed in confusion,  
"I'm talking about _you, _Sam! What if you had been home tonight?"  
He shook his head, exasperatedly then with a move to fast for her to comprehend he through her to the bed, and straddled her hips, leaning down close to her face.  
"_I _am safe, Jules. I am right here with you. _We _are safe."  
She swallowed and nodded her head, her breath shaky. "Yeah, _we_ are, but what about the rest of the team, who will it be next time?"  
He moved off of her and pulled her close to his chest.  
"Listen to me." He spoke gently, "This man. He wants nothing to do with the rest of us. Those agents said it wasn't in his M.O. He wants _you_. To hell that he's going to get you but he doesn't give a damn about the rest of us, and I doubt very much he's going to go through the trouble and the risk of being caught by going through one of us to get to you. I truly do think he's just trying to mess with you, get you to give up and come to him willingly. Because, that way he can exercise his control over us."  
Jules shook her head hesitantly, "Yeah… yeah…you're right."  
She reached for her phone, but he grabbed it first.  
"Sam…" She protested, but before she could argue anymore, he shut it off, and put it on his night-stand.  
"You need to relax, we all do. Just breathe. All the guys will be on high-alert after all of this. No one's going to catch us off guard Jules."  
She nodded as his words set her at ease,  
"God, I love you Sam."  
He chuckled, "Hmm. She's all loving when her life's in danger? Is that what it takes? I'll have to remember this."  
She laughed as his words helped her to relax. He tightened his arms around her and she slipped into a semi-peaceful darkness.

~  
Jules woke in the middle of the night, and couldn't calm the anxiety pressuring her chest. She breathed out, and decided she needed to get to her phone and check it, just to make sure the man hadn't sent her anything else. She looked over to the nightstand next to Sam's side of the bed, but it wasn't there. She figured it was probably in the drawer.  
Sam's arm was draped over her torso and the question was, how was she supposed to get out from under it without waking him? Somehow though, she managed, which was a feat in itself. She moved to his side of the bed and opened the drawer. She sighed when she didn't find it,  
_Damn it Sam_, She inwardly sighed. He knew her all too well and had hidden it from her sometime while she was sleeping. She made her way around the room slowly and quietly, when she spotted his bag. She walked towards the bag and kneeled beside it. She unzipped it slowly, and gasped in surprise, turning instinctively to defend herself as arms wrapped around her waist. Whoever it was moved his arms quickly and pinned her arms at her sides,  
"Easy, easy." Said the familiar husky voice in her ear, she recognized the voice of course, but her adrenaline was pumping and made it hard to comprehend.  
"_Jules._" He said more fiercely, "Calm down before I pin you to the ground."  
This broke through her reverie and she took a deep breath, calming immediately,  
"Sam…" She whispered, breathlessly for a moment then,  
"I would have kicked your ass if you had." She taunted.  
"Yes." He said gently, "Probably," and she gasped when he swiped her knees out from under her and picked her up, bridal style, carrying her towards the bed.  
He lay her down, and she groaned in protest as he pressed his index and middle finger to the inside of her throat, and took her pulse.  
He smiled down at her after a few seconds, "You alright?" He asked.  
She nodded, and he smiled down at her. He reached down, and she closed her eyes and sighed as he removed her camisole. Again, she gasped as he flipped her over onto her stomach, she laughed,  
"What're you doing?" She asked softly, he straddled her hips.  
He didn't answer and instead kneaded his knuckles into her lower back and she moaned and buried her face in the pillow.  
He pressed into her back with his thumbs and massaged every inch of her back, neck and arms until he felt her relax completely beneath him and her breathing become slow and deep.  
She was asleep. Success!

~~  
_**A day later…**_

Sam woke easily to the light shining in through the creases in the curtain. He sat up extraordinarily fast when he found that Jules wasn't lying next to him. He could have sworn his heart had stopped. Every muscle was tense, but when he heard the shower in the bathroom it was like having cool water wash over him. He calmed and fought his reaction of being hypersensitive to all of his surroundings that had been drilled into him thanks to the army and…his father.

Jules had woken at about 3am and had been restless, unable to sleep. She'd lay there for about 40 minutes, simply watching Sam sleep. She wondered if that made her creepy in a way, but she didn't mind. Sam was…beautiful when he slept. If beautiful was the right word for it. Although the team wouldn't really know it, Sam was often guarded when he was aware, not always, but often enough. He didn't have much control over it, though. He'd been raised that way, but she was slowly working through each layer of that armor, and she knew it made him nervous. She was definitely closer than any other person had probably ever been in his life. But, when he was sleeping, it was a different matter. He looked so young, so innocent, and so free.  
She sighed, and got up slowly and carefully knowing that with his training, that he could wake at any small movement, but she had become trained over the months at the careful skill of getting out of bed without jostling him or bothering him. She moved to the bathroom and stripped down before climbing into the shower. She relished in the feeling of the warm water washing over her skin, but all her anxiety's returned as she thought of that text last night. She'd looked for her phone for a few minutes, but Sam had remained adamant when it came to keeping it hidden. Her muscles tensed again as she thought of their current predicament and she tried to clear her thoughts so she could relax, just for a little longer. But, when it didn't work she decided to just turn the heat of the shower up. It was hot, nearly painful, but her muscles relaxed and she breathed out gratefully.  
It was only minutes later when she jumped feeling strong, familiar arms wrap around her waist.  
She sighed. "You're getting really good at sneaking up on me."  
She felt him chuckle, before he reached around her and turned the temperature of the water down, once it was a bit cooler he turned her, and ran his eyes over her naked body.  
"You're burning yourself."  
"I hadn't noticed." She whispered.  
"Liar." He accused.  
She sighed, "I'm just tense."  
"Understandable." He said, and leaned down to kiss her.

Just like the first time they'd dated, they had to choose who would go in the SRU building first, and who would go second so no one would suspect anything.  
Jules had decided to discuss the message the man had sent her with the team.

Afterwards when they walked out of the briefing room, Winnie called her over.  
"Hey, Jules! Someone left a package for you." She said cautiously.  
Jules sighed, and walked over the team followed, Sam stood to her right. Only she would recognize the protective aura he was emitting unintentionally. And, although she'd never admit it, when it was Sam…it was kind of hot. She shook the thoughts from her head, and opened the package. Only to back up then run to the girls locker room to be violently sick.

Inside the box lay a young woman's….dismembered hand, and a letter,

_If only you had been where I wanted the other night,  
this would have been yours, and you would have saved her.  
Guess you're not the hero everyone thinks you are after all._

Sarge snapped the box shut, and they were thankful to have the gruesome package closed again.  
"We need to call the agents and let them know what he's sent us. Maybe they'll be able to pull prints or something from…it."

_**~  
Well?(:  
~**_


	5. An Untrained Mind

~*~*~  
Hey guys, hope you like before, but I needed to let you know: My laptop has broken down, so, my stories will be updated a little more slowly…I apologize for the inconvenience, but I do promise I will finish each and every one of them. Of course, I won't wait that long, I'll update them every few days, I just wanted to let you know. I'll be posting this on all of my ongoing stories that I'm working on right now. Hope you enjoy this chapter ;)  
~*~*~

~#~#~#  
Review:  
Inside the box lay a young woman's….dismembered hand, and a letter,

_If only you had been where I wanted the other night,_

_this would have been yours, and you would have saved her._

_Guess you're not the hero everyone thinks you are after all._

Sarge snapped the box shut, and they were thankful to have the gruesome package closed again.

"We need to call the agents and let them know what he's sent us. Maybe they'll be able to pull prints or something from…it."

~#~#~#

Sam looked over to where Jules had run into the women's locker room, he wanted more than anything to go in there and comfort her but at the same time, he didn't want to raise suspicions on the team.  
Sarge looked over to him, sympathetically.  
"Spike, Sam, go check and make sure she's okay." He said.  
Sam knew why he had told Spike to go…Spike was a little more…oblivious to their ongoing relationship, and he was less likely to pick up any suspicious signs.

They moved quickly, and Sam made it there first. She was bent over a toilet, and he was surprised at how sick she was considering how little they'd been eating. He could hardly get her to eat much anymore, and he vowed, they was going to change. It wasn't be healthy, and change in diet so quickly, and he winced as she dry-heaved where she was. Jules was a strong, independent, stubborn woman, but not even she could handle well…_this, _without any side-effects.

He walked forward, as Jules leaned back against the stall, and pulled the hair tie from her wrist. He quickly tilted her head forward slightly to pull her hair back. She groaned as her stomach protested the movement, as even the small movement raised some of her earlier nausea.  
"Sorry." He murmured, in a comforting tone.  
"How you doin, Jules?" Spike asked, stepping forward.

She looked up at him, "This is humiliating as hell. I hate you guys seeing me like this." She whispered. Spike looked down at her, and smiled sadly, "You know as well as Sam and I do that none of us are going to judge you for this. _Hell_ if, I had gotten a hand in the mail, I probably would have screamed like a little girl and passed out." He said encouragingly, smiling down to her where she lay with her arms around her knees on the ground, Sam kneeling beside her.  
Spike's statement evoked a small laugh from her.  
"Thanks Spike…I think. That would definitely be entertaining to see."  
He smiled again, more serious this time, and knelt down beside them, this time it was Sam that spoke,  
"Really though Jules, you can't hold this in, not with something like this. You know you can talk to us, _any_ of us," He gave her a pointed, inconspicuous look, "And we'll listen."

She nodded. Then frowned, "I know. This guy is sick, If I get the chance, I'll kill him, whether it's legal or not."  
Sam looked down at her with concern etched on his face. This was unlike her,  
"We're cops not judges, Jules." He whispered,  
"Shut up, Sam. I'll kill you too." She murmured, humor now lacing her voice. He laughed,  
"Wonderful. It's about time, I was wondering when you'd lose your sanity." He said.  
She reached over with her arm, landing a hit to his stomach and he gasped as she came close to hitting him, _there. _  
Spike laughed, "Shit, that was close. With a hit like that, he'd probably prefer dying."  
Sam blanched at the thought, and Jules and Spike laughed.  
Jules smiled at him, "You guys are amazing." She said honestly, Sam stood and helped her up and she headed over to the sink and washed out her mouth. And he decided, it was good thing for Sarge to send Spike in, he was definitely a big help in clearing Jules's thoughts and cheering her up.

"I'll be out with the team guys, let them know you're alright." Spike said, breaking the silence, then leaving. Leaving them alone.  
Sam moved up behind her where she was standing in front of the counter, her hands braced on the edges. He leaned over her and put his hands on top of hers, holding her still.

She looked up at him in the mirror, "I could use another massage tonight." She whispered.  
He genuinely smiled, "I'd love to give you one, it's definitely a pleasurable sight." He said leaning close, he kissed her about an inch below her ear and she moaned, he took her earlobe in his ear, and sucked gently on it until her breath became a little more shallow, then he stopped.

"We should probably go before they get suspicious, and before I can't take your teasing me." She whispered, and he nodded mischievously, then they left with her in the lead...

They had called the agents at their headquarters, and then a few forensic investigators came over with the in minutes to see what they could get from the…hand.

The little surprise had been doused in a cleaning chemical, so nothing like prints could be lifted from it, but they were able to identify the young woman, and get an idea of where he was operating.  
There was splintering on her hand, a type of bark, and a grass stain at her wrist that looked like someone had tried to clean off.  
They were almost sure that the man was working in the woods that was the only thing that could explain the elements found on the evidence. Now, the problem was, they had to find out a _location_ in the woods, which was going to be that much harder…but it was better than nothing,  
_Right?_ Jules tried to convince herself, refusing to think of the dismembered hand she had received that morning.

Sarge looked over to her, "You should probably get some rest." He said gently, "You look close to passing out." She began to protest, but he said something before she could,  
"You all should get some rest. And before you guys argue, yes, I know we haven't done any hot calls, but after what we've seen and witnessed today…we all need to rest and try our best to get it out of our minds."  
"He's right." Agent Colby said, stepping forward, her hair cascading down her shoulders, she looked beaten down and tired, but none the less she was there, doing her job.  
"You all need to rest. Things like this happen…and I know you guys have seen a lot, but something like this can be taxing on an untrained mind. And, I don't mean that in a bad way."  
Sarge nodded, and the rest of the team sighed,  
"Let's go home. Everybody stay alert though, we have to be ready for anything." Ed said.  
"You don't have to tell me twice." Wordy said, Spike nodded and the three of them walked into the locker room.  
Sarge pulled Sam and Jules aside,  
"You all need to switch locations, and stay discreet." He said.  
Jules nodded, her eyelids feeling heavy.  
"Got it Sarge." She said quietly, he put a hand on her shoulder and looked to Sam and nodded. Although no words were spoken, it was loud and clear what his intent was with the gesture.  
_Take care of her._  
Sam nodded back.

~*~*~*~  
I know, I know, this chapter was a little uneventful, but don't lose hope! You see, I have plenty of finals tomorrow, and I'm exhausted, but I promise to make the next chapters interesting. I have something planned for the next one. It'll be…eventful, but I can't say much more because it will give it away. ;)  
There will also be some JAM, believe me, you want to stay updated! ;) Hope you liked, review if you have any suggestions or ideas, really I like to hear from you guys! Whether, it's praise or constructive criticism!  
Anyways, Goodnight guys. I'm about to pass out in my chair!

-Nic


	6. The Inevitable

**Hey guys, so this chapter...it's not like violent gruesome, but there is a part that could make people with weak stomachs a little uncomfortable. Just thought I'd let you know! Enjoy! ;)**

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Sarge pulled Sam and Jules aside,

"You all need to switch locations, and stay discreet." He said.

Jules nodded, her eyelids feeling heavy.

"Got it Sarge." She said quietly, he put a hand on her shoulder and looked to Sam and nodded. Although no words were spoken, it was loud and clear what his intent was with the gesture.

_Take care of her._

Sam nodded back.  
~*~*~*~

Sam and Jules walked out to the parking lot, Sam watching her sadly. This was taking a lot out of her. She would never admit it, of course…but for Gods' sake, the woman was being tracked down by a brutal serial killer. He reached into her purse and wrapped his fingers around the keys, pulling them out.  
She groaned,  
"Sam…"  
"We're just driving to the bus station." He said gently, "You need to rest Jules."  
She didn't seem to argue the statement, and he gave her hand a squeeze after making sure no one was in the parking lot with them.  
"Everything's going to be okay."  
She nodded, "Yeah." She said weakly, as he opened the door for her.

They took a ride to their old hotel and grabbed their things before heading back out. This was becoming exhausting, and Jules hated the fact that her and Sam's lives were being turned upside down by a damned man, who seemed to have a narcissistic God-complex. She took a deep breath, and Sam wrapped his arm around her waist as they halted their descent down the hallway to stop in front of their new hotel room door.

Sam turned and shut the door after they entered. He hadn't failed to notice how quiet Jules had been for the last couple hours.  
When he turned, she was sitting on the bed, her elbows on her knees, face in her hands. He was silent for a moment, then he took notice of how her shoulders shook, and it broke his heart. It was on an extremely rare occasion that he saw Jules cry. He knelt in front of her,  
"Jules." He said gently, but she didn't respond and instead started to take deep breaths to slow the tears. No way in hell was she about to push this back, not if he had anything to say about it.  
He took her wrists in his hands, and pulled downwards, he met resistance at first, but simply put more force behind the task until her arms dropped to her sides. She squirmed in his grip,  
"Sam…" She whispered, wanting to hide herself.  
"No." He replied softly, "No way in hell, Jules." It wasn't that he was referring to letting her go. But more so to the possibility that he was going to let her handle this alone. She met his eyes and stopped struggling. Instead, she slipped from the bed. He leaned back so that he was sitting on his heels, and she knelt between his legs, he let go of her wrists, and instead wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close to his chest, and she began to really cry…

He hadn't had to do much pushing to get her to let him pamper her, and after he'd taken her into the shower with him, and gave her the massage he's promised, she seemed to calm. At the moment, she was sitting on the bed in the middle of the room, watching him as he got dressed. He turned and looked at her, feeling her eyes on him, and he smiled.  
"You enjoying yourself?"  
She nodded, and he laughed, before sitting beside her.  
He didn't dare bring _it_ up, and instead said,  
"You know what? Considering we don't have work tomorrow, I'm going to order drinks from room service."  
She didn't object, actually at this point, she was far from objecting.  
Sam ordered something for her, a little stronger than what she usually drank, but at the moment she figured, she could definitely use it. She sat with him on the bed, as they leaned against the bed frame, his arm around her. She relished in the comfort of him being so close, even in such a shitty situation.

Her eyes drooped, and she struggled to stay awake, and was slightly thankful that tonight it seemed, she'd be getting a good night's sleep. For some reason that she couldn't put her finger on, she became increasingly uncomfortable. And, only a few moments later, the room seemed to swirl slightly. She blinked and it took a few seconds for her vision to clear, she pushed it out of her mind, just relating it to her being exhausted, this had all been taxing. But, when it happened a second time, she sat up, alarm bells ringing in her head.  
"Sam…" She whispered, her words slightly slurred,  
_Shit._  
"What is it?" He asked, jumping to attention at the tone in her voice.  
"Something- something's in the, the drink." She stuttered.  
He was on her side of the bed in a second, and took her chin in his hand, tipping it up until she met his eyes, then put his hand to her clammy forehead.  
_"Fuck."_ He growled, He wrapped his arms beneath her and picked her up bridal style. She dreaded what was about to happen, but knew it was their only option. They wouldn't have time to make it to a hospital, and it probably wasn't the smartest idea, considering her current predicament with the man hunting her down.  
He sat her down on her knees in the bathroom in front of the toilet. Hastily, he pulled her hair back into a hair tie and grabbed a complimentary toothbrush from the bathroom counter.

She closed her eyes as the world tilted again, and before she could comprehend what had happened, he was beside her again.

"Hands on your lap. Open your mouth." He ordered sympathetically, whilst leaving no room for argument. She put her hands to her legs and he covered her thighs with his shin, pinning them there.  
He pinched her nose shut and without allowing her to think about it, pressed the tooth brush into her mouth. She had to clench her fists to fight the urge to do anything she could to stop what was happening as he pressed the tooth brush to the back of her throat until she gagged, that was when she began to squirm, but before instincts took over against her will, she inevitably… threw up the contents of her stomach into the toilet in front of her.

She was vaguely aware that Sam had removed the toothbrush about 30 seconds later and was now, rubbing her back soothingly, and this time she couldn't find the darkness as it folded over her.

~*~*~  
Hope you liked this chapter, more coming soon!  
-RMNicki


	7. Murderous

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"Hands on your lap. Open your mouth." He ordered sympathetically, whilst leaving no room for argument. She put her hands to her legs and he covered her thighs with his shin, pinning them there.

He pinched her nose shut and without allowing her to think about it, pressed the tooth brush into her mouth. She had to clench her fists to fight the urge to do anything she could to stop what was happening as he pressed the tooth brush to the back of her throat until she gagged, that was when she began to squirm, but before instincts took over against her will, she inevitably… threw up the contents of her stomach into the toilet in front of her.

She was vaguely aware that Sam had removed the toothbrush about 30 seconds later and was now, rubbing her back soothingly, and this time she couldn't find the darkness as it folded over her.  
~*~*~

Sam wrapped his arms around Jules's waist and pulled her exhausted body up from the tile floor. He walked her through the notions of brushing her teeth and rinsing her mouth out before completely undressing her and helping her into the bed.  
Fury was ingrained deep inside of him. He had no idea, how much of whatever drug that man had given her tonight, was in her drink. She could very well have died. He smoothed her hair away from her face and stood. He looked to the door for maybe the 8th time, then the window, they were both locked. He'd even went as far as to put a table with a vase in front of the door, that way if someone tried to open it while they were asleep they would know. Because there was a very real chance that the man who had done this was still here.  
_I need to call Sarge._ He thought, and pulled out a disposable phone he and Jules were sharing to avoid the possibility of being tracked by their real cells.  
He'd memorized Sarge's number and quickly punched in the digits.  
_Parker. _He heard on the end of the other line.  
"Sarge." He said, surprised by how tense but exhausted his voice sounded.  
_Sam? What happened?  
_"He's here Sarge. At the motel we're staying at."  
_What?!  
_"He came after Jules tonight." Sam ran his hand through his hair.  
_Is she alright?  
_"She's okay. He drugged her, slipped something into a drink that was brought up by room service."  
There was a small pause on the other side of the phone,  
_Are __**you**__ alright, Sam? _  
_"_I'm fine Sarge, I didn't drink much of it."  
_Under normal circumstances I'd have you both go to the hospital, but considering these are far from normal, well…  
_"We're alright. I made sure it was all out of her system." Sam could practically feel Sarge wince on the other end of the line,  
_I'm sure she appreciated that. _He said sarcastically.  
"Yeah." Sam sighed.  
_Are you sure it was him, Sam?_  
This brought Sam up short, because…he didn't.  
_Maybe, it was some creep that didn't know you were with her…?_  
Another roll of fury swept through him as a revelation seemingly slapped him in the face.  
"_Dammit._" He swore.  
_What is it? _  
"There was a man behind the desk today, when the manager was checking us in. Jules was off to the side sitting in some chairs, and this guy kept staring at her like she was a piece of meat. _He _was the one that delivered the drinks, I hadn't really noticed it because he'd been so quiet before, but for gods' sake, he would know the room # because he was _there,_ and he had access to the drinks."  
_Chances are, he'll be back tonight Sam. Especially if he didn't know you were with her. _Sarge's voice had become harder, like he was working hard to conceal emotion from entering his voice.  
"I'll be ready." Sam said fiercely.  
_Sam…_ Sarge said in warning, and Sam took a deep breath.  
"I know, I know."  
_Try to get in contact with hotel security without scaring him off. Stay safe Sam. Don't give up your guys' identity an less you need to. You'll need to be extra-cautious until you come in tomorrow.  
_"Got it Sarge, thanks." He said, before they exchanged quick goodbyes and hung up.  
He went over to the hotel phone and pressed the button that would connect him to the front desk.  
A lazy voice that picked up seemed shocked but not too concerned about the situation until Sam decided, begrudgingly, to give up his identity and position on the police force. At that, the guy jumped to attention and acted more appropriately. Sam was more relieved to find that hotel security was more attentive when it came to hotel residents being in danger, and although Sam wasn't a fan of flaunting his position… He was sure it played a role in the hotel security's cooperation.

After the phone call he debated with himself whether or not to wake Jules, but knew that not filling her in could be disastrous.  
He put his hand on her shoulder and gently coaxed her awake. After a few seconds her brown eyes met his blue ones, and he pulled her into his arms to tell her what was about to happen. She was murderous to say the least, but was sated when she found out her role in the set up.

Jules lay sprawled on the ground practicing the patience that she had learned thanks to her current occupation, she'd redressed to make it look as though she'd passed out. Sam hid in the bathroom in wait. He had moved the table out from in front of the door so that Jules's attacker would have full access to the room.  
It was only about 20 minutes later that he caught an inkling of sound from outside the door. He strained to hear without exposing his position. Jules on the other hand balled her hands into fists then relaxed them. She kept her face smooth and peaceful as the door opened, and the man walked in. She sized him up with her eyes closed as he walked over to where she lye on the ground. He was probably about 6'0 – 6'5, 200lbs at the most. But what threw her off was that his step was quiet and discreet, almost…trained.  
The fact that Sam could only barely hear the man's footsteps put him on edge, because there was a chance that this man was able to fight and was part of the force in some way.  
Jules kept her breath even and at rest, until he reached down and grabbed her arm, and she chose that moment to act, she struck out with her foot hitting him in her pre-planned target. His groin.  
He let out a loud grunt of pain, and fell to one knee, and she kicked him in the stomach. Once he'd come to terms with the fact that she was very much aware, he recovered quickly, and using his strength to his advantage and swung out connecting firmly with her cheek. She gasped in pain as what felt like a ring bit into her cheek.  
_A wedding ring._ She mused, _that's just sick.  
_ She was up again in seconds, and jabbed her fingers into his throat, incapacitating him for the moments being as he fell back, clutching at his throat. But when he began to reach inside his coat, Sam had had enough, he stepped out and landed a solid kick yet again to the man's genitals, the man let out a strangled cry and Jules reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out the gun, he's previously been reaching for.  
Then, hotel security was there with cops, they dragged the moaning man up from the ground, and carried him out of the room.  
Sam looked down to where Jules kneeled,  
"What is that?" He asked, gesturing to the black object in her hands.  
"His wallet." She murmured as she opened it, Sam kneeled down beside her,  
"Officer Christopher Lengley." She said, sarcasm practically dripping from her tongue. "Bastard."  
After a few moments the cops came back, and retrieved the gun and wallet.  
After they walked out, Jules turned to Sam and sighed, "What now?"  
"Well first off, I'm going to take a look at your cheek." He said, tipping her chin up to get a better look at the wound, "_Then_ we're going to go to these guys' station and find out whether or not this piece of trash has any links to the case that has us hiding out in the middle of nowhere."

Hey guys, so I know I haven't updated in a few days. My other stories (Good Cop, Violent Bystander, and Protecting Sadie) have kind of taken priority because they have more readers, followers, etc. But, I'm not giving up on this story whether for my benefit or the people who are indeed reading it. But updated will come with every 4 days at the most an less something serious comes up in my home, things are a little shaky on this side of the computer. Anyways, hope you guys are enjoying _The Brunette Butcher!  
_-RMNicki-  
~*~*~*~


	8. If I Don't Make It Out Of This

Hey guys, wanted to let you know, this chapter _is_ going to become suspenseful and a cliffhanger is imminent. Enjoy!

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Sam looked down to where Jules kneeled,

"What is that?" He asked, gesturing to the black object in her hands.

"His wallet." She murmured as she opened it, Sam kneeled down beside her,

"Officer Christopher Lengley." She said, sarcasm practically dripping from her tongue. "Bastard."

After a few moments the cops came back, and retrieved the gun and wallet.

After they walked out, Jules turned to Sam and sighed, "What now?"

"Well first off, I'm going to take a look at your cheek." He said, tipping her chin up to get a better look at the wound, "Then we're going to go to these guys' station and find out whether or not this piece of trash has any links to the case that has us hiding out in the middle of nowhere."  
~*~*~

Sam wouldn't take no for an answer and after a few minutes of convincing, Jules gave in to being taken care of.

At the moment, she sat on the counter of their small motel bathroom and he stood between her legs and gently wiped at the blood on her cheek. The cut had been more severe than he'd originally suspected and it took some coaxing for a few minutes to stunt the blood flow long enough for him to be able to properly treat it. He walked over to his bag and pulled out a first-aid kit, he'd disdainfully packed before and walked back over to Jules with it.

When he pulled out a small alcohol bottle and gauze she flinched. "I know, I'm sorry." He said gently, referring to the pain she'd be experiencing when he cauterized it. She nodded bravely, as he pressed some alcohol to the pad making her nose crinkle with the offending smell.  
"Are you ready?" He asked.  
She gave him a look, and he chuckled,  
"Are you as ready as you can be?"  
She nodded and held her breath,  
"1, 2, 3." He said, then pressed the moist pad to her face, she flinched and whimpered, but he held her face in place with his fingers where they were gripping her chin.  
"I'm sorry." He spoke gently as he pulled the gauze away.  
He pulled two thin pieces of medical tape out and sealed the wound shut.  
"You should get stitches." He said and her eyed widened, then he sighed, "But I think since it's cauterized and sealed you'll be alright."  
She sighed, relieved, "Thank you, _Doctor Sam_." She said, hopping off the counter.  
He swallowed as her words sent a familiar thrill of lust down though his body. She smiled innocently knowing her teasing had gotten to him. He groped her as she walked past and she gasped.

This time, it was him that smiled victoriously.

~*~*~  
They sat patiently in the police station, and waited for any news on Jules's attacker and any of his possible connections. But, none came.  
"May I speak with you for a second?" An officer asked, looking to Sam. Jules was confused as to why it was only him the officer wanted to talk to, but didn't argue. Too exhausted to push the matter.  
Sam turned to Jules and said, "I'll be back in a second."  
She nodded and watched him as he walked to a back-room. A pang of anxiety hit her, something was off about that officer, but she pushed the idea out of her head, knowing her and Sam were safe here.  
She focused more on some of the gazes she was getting from the other men and couldn't help but smile at the fact that some of them looked at her with a look of wonder and jealousy; as they knew that she was from Team One of the SRU.  
She closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the wall, and sighed.

Then, she felt her pocket vibrate. She was confused at first, knowing that her phone was hidden somewhere back at the hotel…thanks to Sam.  
So, who would have her and Sam's disposable phone's number?  
She pulled it out, but didn't recognize the number as any of the team.  
_Oh…no, no, no. _ She thought, slightly panicked…it couldn't be. Right?  
She took a deep breath and pressed answer.  
"Hello?" She asked.  
"Julianna!" Came a delighted although creepy voice and she knew in a second that she was talking to her stalker.  
"Yes?" She asked, looking around the room hoping to make eye contact with someone.  
"My dear. I've been looking for you, I was beginning to think I had the wrong number."  
"You have 5 seconds to tell me why you're calling me, before I hang up on you." She threatened,  
"I wouldn't do that. You're friend's life depends on it." He said menacingly, the kind demeanor of his voice, suddenly gone.  
"My friend?" She whispered, warily.  
"Yes. Your friend," He replied, "I believe you call him '_Spike_?'"  
Jules froze, then took a deep breath, "I don't believe you."  
"I could let you talk to him." The man seemed to muse. She didn't answer, not wanting to give him the air of control he was craving. "Yeah, alright." He said after a few seconds.  
The next thing that met her ears was the sound of a tense conversation in the background, then a exclamation of pain.  
It was Spike. Tears filled Jules's eyes, Goddammit it was _Spike_!  
"Jules…" She heard his hesitant voice, and knew he was being forced to speak.  
"Spike…" She whispered. "How…?"  
"Don't do anything he says." Spike said firmly not answering her question, then there was another cry of agony,  
"Spike!" She said a little more desperately, but he was gone.  
"You have 20 minutes my dear." The man said, "If you're not to the location I give you by then... I'll kill him. Slowly. Then, I'll send a video to your lovely team. I have eyes on you. Don't try anything." And she knew he was referring to the officer that had whisked Sam away. How many more of the people here could be plotting against them?  
"_JULES, DON'T!" _She heard Spike yell. This time there was a _thump_, and a gasp but then no reply.  
She covered her mouth with her hand as a tear spilled over against her will. She cleared her throat and listened as he rattled off an address to her.  
"Wait-" She said, but there was only the resounding click of the phone on the other end of the line being hung up.  
She knew she should tell Sam…but…Spike was in_ trouble_. And, his life depended on her decisions right now. She knew based off of the officer that had taken Sam earlier that he was in trouble as well. She wouldn't risk him. Not him _and_ Spike.

Neither Sam nor Spike's lives were things to be gambled with. She took a deep breath, and pulled a piece of paper from one of the nearby desks, and took a deep breath, trying to not let the tears fall. She knew she needed to keep a calm façade going as to not raise alarm bells for the other officers in the room.__

Sam,  
I'm so sorry. So sorry. But, I have no choice.  
He has Spike, and the officer that took you, is working for _**him**__. I'm going to do everything I can to get him out, and to protect you.  
I promise to be strong for you, but if I don't make it out of this…  
Always remember…I love you._

_-Jules_

She then, wrote a note that would be more appropriate for the team and the search for her and Spike._  
Guys,  
I am so sorry.  
Spike is in trouble and I can't stand back and do nothing.  
Not when I know that I can stop what's happening. Maybe this is what  
needed to happen. I will be strong, for all of you, as long as I can be.  
I'm sorry…  
-Jules  
_She closed her eyes and stole a piece of tape from the officers' desk, suddenly grateful that he was on break

She placed the notes together on Sam's former seat, knowing he'd be back out soon, and walked, calmly out the door as to not raise any suspicions.  
_I love you Sam._ She thought miserably to herself, as she ran down the street, knowing him and soon the rest of the team would be tracking her.  
She waved a taxi and spurted the address to the driver frantically from her memory.  
Then, she proceeded to lean back in her seat in an abjected state of mind, knowing that this driver… Was driving her to her -most likely- imminent death.

~*~*~*~  
Oh no…Cliffhanger(; Stay updated! Sorry, it's been awhile since I've updated!  
~*~*~*~


	9. Screaming

~*~*~  
Hey guys, so I know it's been a while, I just got a new lap top and am working to figure it out! So, bare with me! (;  
~*~*~

_~*~*~  
Review of Last Chapter:  
She placed the notes together on Sam's former seat, knowing he'd be back out soon, and walked, calmly out the door as to not raise any suspicions. __I love you Sam.__ She thought miserably to herself, as she ran down the street, knowing him and soon the rest of the team would be tracking her. She waved a taxi and spurted the address to the driver frantically from her memory. Then, she proceeded to lean back in her seat in an abjected state of mind, knowing that this driver… Was driving her to her -most likely- imminent death.  
~*~*~_

Tears were in her eyes, and as much as she tried to avoid it, she couldn't help but to think of Sam and how he would react to coming out and finding her gone. Then the team…how would they react?  
She sighed, and leaned back, closing her eyes. And, although sleep definitely wouldn't be coming she wanted to be able to negotiate and perform her best when she got to her destination, so she worked herself into a restful state…

**Back at the Station**

Sam couldn't help but to think that the confrontation between him and the officer that had pulled him away from Jules, was…odd. It hadn't been what he expected. And in fact, most of the time, the officer hadn't been on subject when it came to what was going on.

Sam had even tried to leave once and the man had stumbled to find a reason to keep him there…  
"I need to check on Jules." He said, moving towards the door,  
"Uh, wait!" The officer said, a little too loudly. "I, uh-, there's something I need you to see…"  
For about the third time during their meeting, the man began to rummage through drawers. Then…Sam knew. There was nothing useful in those drawers. He wasn't actually looking for anything in general.  
So, he took off out the door, and found Jules's chair…empty.

"Jules!" He said, earning the attention of everyone else in the building. He ran to where she had been sitting, looking for anything to point anywhere towards where she could have gone.  
There were two notes, that had taken her place.

_Sam, _

_I'm so sorry. So sorry. But, I have no choice. He has Spike, and the officer that took you, is working for __him__. I'm going to do everything I can to get him out, and to protect you. I promise to be strong for you, but if I don't make it out of this… Always remember…I love you._

_-Jules_

The second note said much of the same.  
"Where's the woman that was sitting here?" He asked loudly, addressing anyone in the room that could hear him.  
"Yeah…" An officer said from his desk, close to Sam.  
"Where?" Sam asked.  
"She said she was going outside to smoke. Then she left."  
"Goddammit!" He yelled, kicking the chair, Jules never smoked.  
Then, he took a deep breath…knowing, that panic wasn't going to get him anywhere.

He turned, furiously to see the cop that had been with him only moments before, behind him. And, he could tell by the guilty look on his face, that he had something to do with it.

"You." Sam growled, "You did this."

"I-" The officer stuttered, "The man that came in-"  
"What man!?" Sam ordered,  
"He came in…and he offered me money as long as I kept you distracted. He said he was an ex-boyfriend and that he needed to talk to her."

Sam didn't think twice about it, before he landed a solid hit to the man's face, hard enough to break his nose.

The man hit the ground, and no one moved to help him.

"No." Sam ground out, "The man that wanted to _talk_ to her, is a serial murderer and has been tracking her down to _kill her, _and you may have well have just lead her to her grave."

The man blanched, "I-I'm so sorry."  
"Save it." Sam said, then ran out the door, hoping to catch the woman he loved before she walked to the slaughter table. He cringed as he realized, how true that statement could be…

Jules was nowhere to be found, he checked everywhere he could, and was slightly relieved to find that it was 6am. They had gotten to the hotel at about 12am, and had reported to the police station by two. They'd spent 4 hours in a building that they had thought they were safe in, and had actually been in the most danger they'd been in since the entire situation had begun. Jules's 'stalker' had gotten them when their guard was down.

He yanked out his phone, and turned it on, knowing the team would be grouped by now, and called Sarge's number. He knew that by calling, that his and Jules's relationship would be exposed, but right now he needed their help, and possibly more.

_Sam?_ Sarge asked, quietly, _You aren't supposed to be using your phones._  
"They're gone Sarge. Jules's gone." He said, a little more desperately then he wanted.

"What do you mean _they're_ gone, Sam?" Sarge asked in that calm voice that Sam didn't understand, then he realized that… Boss didn't know about Spike yet.

He heard Sarge call in Ed and Wordy.  
(Yes, Wordy's still in the picture – I liked him )

_What is it? _ He heard Ed ask.  
_It's Sam. He's been the one that's been staying with Jules. _ Way to be blunt Sarge…Sam thought lamely, but Ed and Wordy didn't seem to question it.  
_Jules is missing. _ Sarge said. _I'm putting you on speaker-phone, Sam.  
_"Is Spike at the barn?" Sam asked,  
"No. Why?" Wordy asked.  
"Because, if he's not at home, then the man that's been stalking Jules has him."  
_Son of a bitch! _Sarge growled, _What the hell happened, Sam? Talk to us. _

"Jules and I were attacked earlier tonight in our hotel room. But, it was just a creep that thought Jules would be there alone. Then, we went to the police station to wait out the small investigation, and an officer pulled me into an interview room, and after a while, I knew something was wrong, so I left. And, when I got out, Jules was gone. She left a note for you guys, hang on…  
Sam pulled out the note, and read,

_Guys,  
I am so sorry. Spike is in trouble and I can't stand back and do nothing. Not when I know that I can stop what's happening. Maybe this is what needed to happen. I will be strong, for all of you, as long as I can be.  
I'm sorry…  
-Jules_  
"He blackmailed her with Spike's life, Sarge." He whispered, feeling deflated.  
"Come into the barn, Sam. Winnie's called in the agents and Team 3, and 2. We're going to find them, Sam. We are." Ed said.

~*~*~  
Jules

She hadn't realized the taxi had stopped until she felt the taxi man's hand on her knee, shaking her awake.  
Actually, she was shocked to find that she had fallen asleep. She paid the driver, and climbed out, and wasn't shocked to find herself in a field…with a barn and a house.  
She swallowed, and walked forward as the taxi sped away.  
She knocked on the door, and it opened after a few seconds.  
And, there was Spike, his arms behing his back. That was just cruel. Having him answer.  
"Spike…" She whispered. He looked at her, with sorrow in his eyes, then he was yanked back and she was grabbed and forced forward. She felt lips close to her ear, and she shuttered at the putrid smell of his breath as he spoke,  
"Don't make any moves or I'll kill you both." He threatened in a grizzly voice, she took a deep breath and kept her calm façade on, as he marched the two of them into forward. His hands were meaty and she could tell by his gait and the way the floorboards creaked, that he was a heavy-set man and was about a foot taller than her. She wondered idly why Spike hadn't tried to fight this man off, because she knew that Spike had fighting skills, and this man most likely did not. Although he was big, and burly, she was sure Spike could take him. And with the two of them here…  
But her thoughts were cut off as they were marched into a room, and cat calls were made.  
There were 3 other men, all about her captor's size. It was a _group._  
_Well, that's why Spike hasn't made any moves. _She thought.  
The man grabbed her hands and tied them behind her back, tightly with a piece of wire. After that, one of the men reached out and grabbed her and she let out a small startled scream, as he yanked her towards him.  
"LET HER GO!" Spike yelled as the man wrapped his arm around her waist, resting it uncomfortably close to her ass.  
She struggled in his arms, the most she could with her arms tied behind her back.  
He gripped her jaw hard enough to leave bruises, "Don't fight me sweet-heart. I don't want to have to hurt you." He laughed, and ran his thumb over her cheek then thumbed her lip.  
"Suck it." He said, forcing his dirty thumb between her lips, the other men laughed at the sex innuendo. The man's other hand pulled at her shirt.  
She heard a struggle behind her, then a loud _thump,_ and Spike's exclamation of pain.  
She bit the thumb in her mouth, _hard_. And the man let out a pained yell, and yanked it away. She kneed him, and he crumpled to the ground,  
"Bite me." She said, and just as quick, the one behind her that had hurt Spike, grabbed her by her loose hair and yanked, throwing her to the ground. And with her hands tied behind her she was unable to stop the fall, and she struck her head hard enough to leave her dizzy for a moment.  
One of them grabbed her feet, and she willed her vision to clear, and once it had, she didn't have time to make a move because Spike struck out and hit her attacker in the face with his heel, and the man stumbled back, hitting his head against the door frame, then he was unconscious.  
Spike looked over at her to make sure she was alright and she nodded.  
"Jules." He warned to quietly for her to hear, and she nodded slightly again as she felt herself grabbed from behind, she supported herself with her feet so that he wouldn't dislocate her shoulder, until she was standing upright.  
"We're going to have some fun with you, sweet heart. I like them feisty." She heard next to her ear and her stomach rolled.  
"GET YOUR HANDS OFF HER!" Spike yelled, a man raised his bat over Spike's head,  
"NO!" Jules screamed, "Okay, Okay! We'll stop fighting you, just don't hurt him. I'll go willing."  
Spike watched her, "Jules-"  
She shook her head, silencing him, and he watched her with sorrow filled eyes.

She looked around the room.  
The one holding her had been the one she'd bitten. One was unconscious. One's nose was broken…badly, and one more was unharmed. That left three; they split. The one with the nose injury stayed to guard Spike, and the other two went with Jules to a back room. And, she hoped that if there was nothing she could do, and if she couldn't help it…that Spike wouldn't hear her screaming.

~*~*~  
Ooh, cliffie (;  
Stay updated!


	10. Where Are You?

_~*~*~_  
_Review of Last Chapter:_

_She looked around the room. The one holding her had been the one she'd bitten. One was unconscious. One's nose was broken…badly, and one more was unharmed. That left three; they split. The one with the nose injury stayed to guard Spike, and the other two went with Jules to a back room. And, she hoped that if there was nothing she could do, and if she couldn't help it…that Spike wouldn't hear her screaming.  
~*~*~_

The two men practically dragged her into the room with them. They threw her to the ground, and she winced as her head throbbed painfully against the inside of her skull. Shadows filled her eyes for a few moments, and she fought to stay conscious.  
"We have some errands to run, Bitches." One of them said. She must have hit her head harder than she thought, because it took her a few seconds to clear the shadows from in front of her. The one she had bitten kicked her in the stomach, knocking the breath out of her, then he warned,  
"Act up, and we'll be cutting her to pieces." Jules was confused at first then she saw the woman he was gesturing at, and although it was blurry she knew _exactly _who it was.  
Agent Valerie Caleb.

Jules nodded, "Don't…hurt…Spike, please…" She wheezed. The man knelt down beside her,  
"We're not interested in him sweet-heart." He traced her jaw line with his thumb. "I am going to have some fun with you later." He breathed.  
Jules closed her eyes, willing her newest nightmare to fade away, but it was real. Very real. She sighed as the door across the room slammed shut. She looked back to Agent Valerie. Valerie was nearly unconscious, and paler than Jules knew was healthy, her hands were also tied behind her. Jules propped herself against the wall and took a deep breath before pressing herself up, and using her flexibility to her advantage, and slid her arms beneath herself until they were behind her thighs. She took another deep breath and slid one leg after another through her bound arms, until they were in front of her. She breathed out, suddenly thankful for the gymnastics lessons she had taken as a child.  
_Dimwits._ She thought to herself when she saw that the wire was only twisted. She bit the end of it, and worked her wrists free. She didn't waste time and quickly crawled over to the fallen agent.  
"Agent Caleb." She said gently.  
"Valerie." The agent whispered, "Call me Valerie." The agent adjusted her position and winced, and Jules could tell that she was hurt, then she felt a sticky warmth coating her jeans, and she looked down to see that Agent Caleb was surrounded in a pool of her own blood.  
"Where?" Jules asked.  
"I'm dying." The agent said, "You need to find a way out of here. You and your colleague."  
"Tell me." Jules ordered, and the agent smiled slightly, and turned to the side, and Jules saw that her wrists weren't bound, it was her forearms.  
Because one of her wrists was missing.  
Jules moved to the side, and dry heaved, and the acid burned the back of her throat. She fought to gain control back, before crawling back,  
"I can help you." She whispered.  
"No. You can't." Valerie wheezed. "Get. Out. Of. Here." Valerie looked to the side, "Vent…" She whispered.  
Jules looked to the side and saw the air vent in the side of the wall, and when she looked back, Valerie's eyes were staring at the ceiling, empty, and unmoving…like her chest.  
Tears rolled down Jules's cheeks and she reached forward and brushed Valerie's eyes closed.  
"I'm so sorry." She whispered, then hurried over to the vent. She squeezed the tips of her fingers into the creases where the rust metal met the wall, and it caused her fingers to bleed. She took a deep breath, and forced them in further, before giving it a firm yank, and it clattered to the floor. She winced as her brain beat against the inside of her skull, protesting against the sharp noise.  
She listened, but didn't hear the footsteps in the hallway that she had been anticipating. She crawled into the dirty vent and reached back out to grab the vent door. She propped it against the wall to cover most of the open gap in the wall, hoping it would buy her a few seconds.  
She crawled quickly through the vents, and it was pitch black until she saw a golden light at the end of the tunnel. She crawled towards it, and crouched below it to see the exit grate.  
She pressed her hands to it and it took a few seconds, but she summoned the strength to force it open. She put her hands to the surface and used her strength to push herself above and to the comforting feeling of the grassy ground.  
She pushed back her emotions and ran towards the front of the house, before exposing herself, she looked around the corner to see that the second car was gone, which sent a wave of relief through her.  
She ran around the corner, to the door. And saw through the window that the man was standing over Spike, who was lying on the ground. The man kicked Spike and Spike scrunched his eyes shut. Jules winced inwardly in both sympathy and anger. She pushed the door open, but the man didn't turn…most likely thinking it was his buddies returning from wherever the hell they were.  
She grabbed a bat that was propped against the wall.  
Spike saw her and his eyes widened, but he focused his attention back on the man.  
The man took out a gun, and Jules tensed,  
"How about…first, I shoot you in the knee-cap. That should make up for the broken nose your little bitch friend caused me. Then, I'll shoot you in the arm, then the crotch, then the stomach-"  
"Hey." Jules said stonily, "I have a better idea."  
The man spun around and Jules raised the bat and brought it down _hard_ across the side of his head, and he collapsed to the side. Rage filled her, and she raised it again and brought it down over his head, repeatedly. Her subconscious fought to gain control, but she didn't want to. She let out an angry desperate scream as the memories of the severed arm she'd received in the mail filled her head, then the image of Agent Caleb dying right beside her. This man had been part of a group that had mutilated countless women. Had hurt her team. Had hurt _Spike._  
She was grabbed from behind and she thrashed,  
"Stop. _Stop."_ She heard the familiar voice, and while she was distracted, Spike disarmed her, forcing the bat out of her hands. But still, she fought him,  
"_Goddammit Jules, __**He's dead!" **_She froze and she forced the tears back as she focused in on her surroundings and saw the man in front of her. He had a split open skull. She closed her eyes as her stomach rolled with nausea again at what she had done. But yet, she didn't feel regret at all. Spike had pinned her, her arms behind her back.  
"Okay…" She whispered to let him know she was back, he let her go.  
"What did they do to you?" He breathed, thinking about how much rage he had seen build up in her small figure. She shook her head,  
"Agent Caleb is dead."  
Spike hesitated, but nodded. Now was not the time to mourn. He grabbed the gun the man had been using from the floor and handed it to Jules.  
"What are you going to use?" She asked, he smiled, and reached into a nearby dresser and grabbed another gun,  
"A gun." He replied, "Come on."  
"Wait." She said, she walked over to the man, ignoring the bloody mess and searched his pockets, and gasped when she found a cell phone.  
"Good thinking." Spike said.  
They ran out the door, and took off towards the woods, their thoughts on the same wave-length. Taking the car was tempting. But they knew that if the men came back early, It would attract attention they didn't need,  
Jules didn't know how long they ran for, but once they were exhausted, they stopped. It was probably about 2 or 3 miles. They paused, and Jules took a deep breath and pulled out the phone, and dialed a familiar number she knew well.  
It rang 3 times and she nearly lost hope when she heard his voice flood the line,  
"Braddock." He said, sharply, clearly stressed. She put it on speaker.  
"Sam." She said.  
There was silence,  
"Sam, come on, answer me." She said.  
"Fucking Christ, Jules. Where the hell are you?" He said, and she flinched inwardly hearing the outright anger in his voice.  
"Somewhere in the woods…" Spike said, then they fell silent as they heard a truck nearby.

**Sam P.O.V**

The search had been taxing but sam refused to stop. It had been four and half hours, and they hadn't gotten a single hit on where Spike and Jules could be, but he was more than relieved to know that the men that had taken them hadn't sent the team a 'souvenir'. Sick bastards. His phone rang in his pocket and it didn't help his mood. He whipped it out, wanting to scream at someone, something. But, he refused to let any emotion break through his thick exterior. Sarge, Wordy and Ed looked towards him as he pulled it out, and answered,  
"Braddock." He snapped.  
"Sam." Her voice stated, and he was convinced that he was imagining things.  
"Sam, come on answer me." He heard, and it truly beat itself into his head, it was _Jules._  
"Fucking Christ, Jules. Where the hell are you?" He ground out. The other three of their team 's heads snapped up in his direction, and he pulled his phone away from his ear and put it on speaker.  
"We're somewhere in the woods." They heard Spike's voice. Then things fell silent and they heard a truck engine. Sam tensed...and then sighed when the engine faded away.  
"Can you trace the number?" Spike asked, quietly.  
Team 3's tech guy was already at the computer, "Hang on, hang on, almost there…" He murmured. "Got it!"  
"Yes." Sarge replied.  
"How many?" Ed ordered, seconds later.  
"3." Jules replied.  
"I'm hooking your phone to our headsets now." The tech guy said.  
"Copy that." Spike and Jules replied.  
Team 3 and 1 ran to the locker rooms and suited up, Sam was the quickest and was back out in seconds, fitting his ear piece in,  
"Guys?" He asked,  
"We're here." Jules replied, "We're on the move. We can't say in one place for too long."  
"Are you guys alright?" Wordy asked.  
"We're okay." Spike's voice was strained and the team knew that he wasn't telling the complete truth, but it was good enough for now.  
Sam looked to the tech guy who was at Winnie's desk and he nodded, before running out the door to the command truck.  
The agents were there then, already in vests, hand-guns in hand.  
"Agent Caleb?" Michaels asked, and Sam and Wordy who had joined him stilled. They hadn't known that one of the agents had been taken…let alone Agent Caleb.  
There was a pause over the phone, then Jules answered quietly,  
"I'm sorry." She whispered, "I tried to save her, but she made me leave."  
The agents were silent, and Sam saw the flash of pain cross through them.  
"We have a job to do." Their sergeant said, and they all nodded.  
"I'm sorry." Jules whispered, and Sam wanted more than anything to be there for her and to help her through the emotional pain he knew she was in.  
"Let's go team!" Sarge said, and they ran out the door to the vans.  
_I'm coming Jules. _He thought._  
Please let them be alright. Please let __**her**__ be alright.  
_

~*~*~  
Cliffie, stay updated ;) I have some interesting ideas, that I hope you guys enjoy in the net couple chapters! Love it, Like it, Rate it, Review it!  
-RMNicki-


	11. Ambush

_~*~*~  
Disclaimer: I do not own Flashpoint or any of it's characters. But, The Brunette Butcher and it's writings are my work and should not be used without my permission,  
Thank you.  
Enjoy!_

Review of Last Chapter:  
"I'm sorry." She whispered, "I tried to save her, but she made me leave." The agents were silent, and Sam saw the flash of pain cross through them. "We have a job to do." Their sergeant said, and they all nodded. "I'm sorry." Jules whispered, and Sam wanted more than anything to be there for her and to help her through the emotional pain he knew she was in. "Let's go team!" Sarge said, and they ran out the door to the vans.

_I'm coming Jules. __He thought.  
__**Please let them be alright. Please let **__**her**__** be alright.**__  
~*~*~_

**Jules P.O.V**

Jules and Spike trudged around the woods, trying to find a main road or something where they could get someone's attention.  
"Spike." Jules said, hearing a twig snap behind them. They turned, guns raised, but the only sound that met them were the other natural sounds of the forest.  
_Spike, Jules? What's going on? _Came Sarge's voice through the phone.  
"We thought we heard someone behind us." Spike said,  
"I think we're good, now th-" Jules began, but was cut off,  
"Jules." Spike said, quietly. She looked up and met his eyes, "There's one behind you about 10 feet, he must have been following us. He doesn't know I saw him. He has a gun, when you hear him, stay where you are and don't move, got it?" He asked, never leaving her gaze.  
She breathed out and nodded, She trusted Spike with her life.  
"Yeah I don't hear anything, I think we're good." She said continuing her and Spike's conversation, so that their pursuer wouldn't know he'd been spotted.  
Spike nodded, "I think you're right, let's keep moving before they catch up to us."

And, right as they had hoped, the man behind them, fell into the trap. Jules heard a loud crunch, behind her, then the sound of a gun being cocked.**  
**_**Bang.**_

She flinched, nearly expecting the familiar fiery agony of a bullet ripping through her body. But instead, heard a thump. She opened her eyes and met Spike's. He had his gun raised, aimed right over the side of her right shoulder.  
She turned, and sighed in relief when she saw that one of their attackers was laying in a puddle of his own blood.  
"We're alright." She heard behind her, and realized that Spike was talking to the team.  
She felt a hand on her shoulder, and jumped before she registered that it was Spike.  
"You alright?" He asked.  
_Not really. _"Yeah, I'm fine."  
He gave her a look that said, _Bullshit_. But, they didn't have time to argue about it because the next thing she knew, Spike jolted forward slightly, and his eyes widened in shock.  
He reached back, and pulled a dart out of his neck.  
She took in a sharp breath,  
"Spike!" She cried, as he fell forward, she caught him in her arms and lowered them to the ground.  
She held his head in her lap, and looked around at their surroundings,  
_**Jules? Status! **_

She heard, from the speaker on the phone, but her attention was focused on attempting to pinpoint who it was who had just shot Spike. She thought quickly, and after realizing that she wasn't going to be shot too, she knew that she was about to be taken.  
She took a deep breath and whispered,  
"Sorry Spike…" Before, unlatching the necklace around his neck where his family's small pendant hung. She didn't like taking it, but knew that she could hardly take the phone with her, and the men had confiscated her wrist-watch when she'd first been taken. She latched the necklace around her throat knowing that Spike, like her, had embedded a tracker in the piece of jewelry. She just hoped he noticed that it was gone. She then was able to focus in on the men approaching her and Spike, from in front of them. She sensed another one behind her.  
_What in hell? There were only 3 before! _

She stayed silent, knowing that these men weren't willing to listen, not to mention, she heard a gun behind her being loaded and the right hand man in front of her held another. The one on the left held the dart gun that had shot Spike,  
"What did you give him?" She whispered.  
"A tranquilizer." The man snarled in answer.  
The phone had gone silent, the team was most likely listening to her conversation with the men around her.  
"Why?" She asked softly.  
She heard the footsteps behind her, stutter for a moment, and she recognized this one as the 'rookie' in the pack. The new recruit in groups like this, followed mob mentality and went with what ever the other members decided to do.  
"Because. If _we_ don't,_ we_ die." The man behind her snarled, but it sounded forced.  
"Shut Up, Carlos." The man in front of her said. "Now. _Get Up." _ He ordered, she did as he said, obediently…as much as she hated to, she needed these guys to let their guard down a little, to allow her a little more 'leg room' when it came to getting away.  
She looked back at Spike as they lead her away, who was still lying on the ground.  
"He'll be alright." She heard, the man she assumed was _Carlos_ behind her.  
She didn't say a word.  
~*~*~

**The Team**

They listened, and heard the footsteps of Jules's kidnappers fade away, which meant, they had left the phone behind.  
Sam was sitting in one of the trucks with Sarge.  
Sarge looked to Sam, and Sam nodded, meekly, _I'm okay_. Sarge turned off his radio.  
"Sam." He said, and Sam sighed and did the same.  
"They're gonna kill her Sarge." He said quietly.  
"You don't know that Sam."  
Sam tensed, "You _saw_ what they did to those other women. Jules is _right _in their M.O, and there's nothing stopping them!"  
"Yes. It's in their M.O, but…this wouldn't be the first thing the agents got wrong. We're running blind in a storm right now Sam. We're going to find her."  
Sam knew from experience that…although Sarge had said that they _would_ find Jules. He didn't clarify whether or not it was dead, or alive.  
_Or in pieces._ His mind taunted, his stomach rolled and he just barely held back throwing up, as fear and heart ache rolled through him.  
_No, please…_ He begged, someone, _anyone._  
~*~*~

**Jules P.O.V**  
They approached a white van, and Jules walked alongside them, feeling sick to her stomach although she didn't show it.  
One of the men opened the door and reached into the van, and pulled out a roll of duct tape. She looked to the side, knowing that if she was tied up, she would be dehumanized, and they would be more likely to assault her whether it was sexually or physically. She felt a sharp snap against the side of her face, and realized she'd been pistol whipped, she nearly fell, but Carlos caught her mid-way to the ground.  
"Don't. Even. Think. About. It." The leader said. H  
"Do you have to do that?" Carlos asked.  
"Shut the fuck up, Carlos." One of the other guys said. Her face ached, and burned with the hard hit she'd taken.  
He stripped a piece of the duct tape from the roll.  
She looked at it dubiously, and the man smiled icily.  
"I don't trust you not to run away, bitch." He said, He handed it to the guy on her right side before taping her mouth shut. The other guy, bound her hands behind her, painfully.  
Then, she was shoved into the van. 2 of them sat in the front, the other two, with her. She wanted to speak, wanted to negotiate, but she could hardly utter a sound. The only thing that kept her sane was Spike's necklace tapping back and forth on her chest.  
She took a deep breath, and cleared her face of any emotion, there was no way in hell she was going to give them the satisfaction of knowing they scared her.  
The car ride seemed long, but too short at the same time, and before she knew it, she was being dragged by her hair out of the van. She let out a cry of pain as the man holding onto her, gave a firm yank, nearly pulling her to the ground.  
"Let her go!" She heard a booming, unfamiliar voice. The man let her go immediately and she fell to her knees.  
She looked up to see a menacing looking, bulky man. But what she really noticed was the apron he was wearing…it was covered in blood. Most likely human blood. Then there was the grizzly scene behind him. There was what looked like an operation table and an array of saws and knives, and the distasteful smell of bleach. She focused back on the man as he knelt in front of her.  
His eyes were icy, and fierce, he tipped her chin up. He stood again and met the eyes of the man that had been dragging her.  
"You. Hurt. Her." He snarled, the man actually took a step back.  
She looked behind her,  
"Shouldn't have done that." The man said in a scarily calm voice.  
"Ple-" The man began, fear evident in his eyes. She began to look away, but the next thing she knew. Her previous attacker had a razor sharp dagger thrust directly into his heart. She stared, astonished for a moment, as he dropped to the ground, blood gushing out of his mouth and nose.  
She turned away, and swallowed, looking back to the man in front of her.  
He smiled, sweetly, but she wasn't fooled at all.  
"Unbind her." He ordered of the other men.  
"What if she runs?" Carlos asked.  
"I like the hunt." The man said, Jules breathed out slowly, relaxing her muscles.  
Seconds later, she felt her wrists being stripped of the tape, her lips next.  
She hadn't broken eye contact with the man above her then, she finally did.  
He knelt in front of her, and twirled a lock of her hair in his dirty fingers.  
"You have _beautiful _hair." He whispered, adoringly. "And _amazing _eyes. They tell a beautiful story."  
"Why are you doing this?" She asked calmly, he smiled.  
"That won't work on me sweet-heart. I've worked with your kind before. I know all about negotiating, and having you is a treat. Having someone…" He stroked her cheek, "So strong, and vibrant."  
She pulled away, and he laughed,  
"A feisty one. All the more fun." He murmured, then kissed her cheek.  
She'd had enough, and against her better judgement…she slapped him.  
~*~*~

**Sam  
**We found Spike within time. It felt like it took forever, and then it took more time to maneuver the vans through the woods. But, with Spike's helpful details and the help of being able to track the phone, they had found him quickly. Spike had resurfaced to consciousness about 5 minutes later, and now he stood in the small clearing with the rest of the team and the agents where him and Jules had been ambushed…again.

His head beat against the inside of his skull, and he took a deep breath, trying to think clearly.  
"Did she have a cell on her?" Wordy asked, and Spike shook his head,  
"The only phone we had with us, was this one."  
Sam tightened his hands into fists, then relaxed. He wasn't angry with Spike of course, but he was slowly unraveling.  
_Suck it up, Braddock. That isn't what Jules needs right now. _

"We have no way we can track her." Spike said, miserably, "I'm so sorry."  
Sarge looked up sharply, "Spike, there is no way in hell, that this is your fault."  
"I could have…I should have had her back better."  
Throughout the entire conversation, Sam's mind was reeling, something was on the edge of his thoughts, the tip of his tongue.  
He closed his eyes for a second.  
"So how do we pro-" One of the agent's began.  
Sam gasped, his eyes flashing open, all eyes turned to him.  
"What is it, Sam?" Sarge asked.  
"Her watch…She wears a watch that has a miniature tracker embedded in it."  
He got an array of looks from Wordy, Ed, and Spike, but he ignored it, more worried about finding the woman he loved.  
"It won't work." Spike sighed, defeated after a few seconds. "They took all of our possessions, including…her watch."  
_**~*~*~**_

_**Hmmm….What now?  
Tell me what you think! I can't lie, this is one of my favorite stories of the ones I've written so far!  
-RMNicki-  
~*~*~**_  
**  
**


	12. Son of a-

_~*~*~  
Review of Last Chapter:  
"What is it, Sam?" Sarge asked. "Her watch…She wears a watch that has a miniature tracker embedded in it." He got an array of looks from Wordy, Ed, and Spike, but he ignored it, more worried about finding the woman he loved. "It won't work." Spike sighed, defeated after a few seconds. "They took all of our possessions, including…her watch."_  
~*~*~

**Sam**  
Sam damn well near punched something, or maybe even someone. At this point he would have done anything to find Jules, his stomach rolled as he thought of what could be happening to her _right now…_  
~*~*~

**Jules**_**  
**_ Jules froze after she'd done it. Realizing that slapping him…might not have been her best idea. But, for gods' sake, she couldn't just sit there and tolerate being touched and treated like an object, or how the man had put it…'a _treat.'  
_She looked up at his face, watching carefully. Things seemed to be going in a nauseatingly slow motion, and the other guys behind her were silent as, who she presumed was the 'butcher' wiped blood from his lip.

She could see a furious darkness in his eyes, but he contained it.  
"_You_ are going to be fun to tear limb from limb." He snarled, "Maybe…maybe I'll even take pictures and send it to your little _team._"  
"Leave them out of this." Jules whispered fiercely. He walked behind her and she tensed.  
"Tell me this, Julianna…" He said, brushing her hair away from her neck so that it splayed across her back, "Why do you care so much about them? I don't see them _here_. Helping you out of this mess. Maybe…Perhaps they've given up you and have realized you aren't worth the trouble… _I_ don't think you are. Your _mother_ didn't think you were, maybe that's why she ran out on you when you were a child, hmm?"  
Jules's throat had become dry, how he knew those things about her past…she didn't know, but she _did_ know _exactly _what he was doing, and there was no way in hell she was going to give into his game and let him control her like a puppet.

"My mother isn't worth my time or pain." She responded, deadly quiet.  
"So, why _did_ she decide to take your brother Michael rather than you?" The butcher said, ignoring her statement, "What was so wrong with _you_? I can't see a seven-month old baby being as much of a burden as to be initiative enough for a mother to run away, her son in her arms… Leaving a heart-broken father and damaged little girl in her wake."  
"You're right." Jules murmured, staring at the ground, forcing back the pain from her past,  
"I don't have the answer you're looking for, but what I _do _know is that she hasn't been a part of my life since I was a baby. I spent more than half of my child hood asking what was wrong with me and why she hated me so much, and it never got me anywhere. And, it won't now." Jules pushed herself into a standing position, and turned to face the butcher.  
"My mother has no part in who I am today, and I don't regret what I've done in my life. Have any more pointless insults to throw at me?"  
~*~*~

**Sam **

Sam leaned against the vans and the teamed listened tensely as the profilers talked over where and why the butcher and his puppets could have gone.  
Spike walked over and propped himself against the rear door to the SUV beside him.  
"Maybe you should get some rest." Sam said, emotionlessly.  
"You're one to talk, Sam. You look like you just got hit by a bus."  
"Feeling like it."  
Spike didn't answer for a moment, and Sam looked over to him,  
"What is it?"  
Spike sighed miserably,  
"I feel like I'm missing something. When I was out, I heard Jules whisper, 'sorry.'"  
Sam looked at him, inquisitively, what he's said, sounded off to him too.  
"We both know that Jules knows better than to harbor guilt when it comes to these kinds of situations." Spike continued, "She was right above me, and I can't for the life of me figure out what she would be talking about. It's like she was trying to tell me something."  
Sam looked over to him, clinging to the tiny piece of hope he felt budding in his chest.  
"Did she do anything other than talk you?" Sam asked.  
Spike ran his hands over his face, then his fingers went to his throat, where he usually fiddled with his family pendant when he was deep in thought.  
Spike froze, and Sam stood immediately at the look in his expression, afraid something was wrong.  
"What? What's wrong? You alright?"  
Spike didn't reply and instead ran over to where he and Jules had been on the ground when they'd been ambushed. He searched frantically through the leaves for a moment.  
It had gone silent in the small clearing and the rest of the team had approached the two of them. Sam kneeled in front of Spike.  
"Spike, what the hell is going on?"  
Spike was staring at the ground,  
"Dammit! Why didn't I think of that! She has my necklace, the one with my family pendant on it!"  
Sam gave him an incredulous look, confused by his sudden outburst,  
Spike had an eager look in his eyes now, then looked at Sam like he was an idiot,  
"It has a tracker in it, dimwit."

"_Kyle!_" Donna asked on the other side of the clearing into her mic seconds later. Kyle, who was in the command truck was silent for a few seconds,  
"I've got her!"

~*~*~  
**Jules**

The Butcher smiled, and walked over to her,  
"No sweet-heart, no more questions. Let's get down to business." He said, then gripped her wrist. She began to yank away, but he thrust a syringe into her arm and her vision swam for a few seconds. Things were blurry and slightly out of focus as he forced her wrists behind her where he bound them tightly. She struggled for what felt like hours but probably was only a couple minutes to clear her now unfocused vision. The Butcher had given her something to make it so she was incapacitated, and the word, _cheater_ came to mind.  
"Sit." The butcher growled in her ear, and she was shoved onto what felt like a tree stump.  
She focused the best she could and realized that she was maybe a foot away from the edge of a 200ft nosedive off the side of a cliff. She didn't dare move, for fear of falling in her daze. The entrance to the forest was about 40 feet away on the other side of the clearing, and the butcher about 15 feet to her left, cleaning the table of his last victim.

"Gentlemen." The butcher said, looking over to what Jules considered his, 'minions,' "take a walk."  
"Would you like us to bring her back if she runs, boss?" Carlos asked.  
"She won't be going anywhere." The butcher replied, not even looking towards the younger man.  
"Do you want us to take Santiago with us?" Another one of them asked in a monotone voice, gesturing to the man that had been speared by the butcher's knife throwing skills.  
"_**LEAVE**_." The butcher roared, and Jules jumped at the sudden outburst. When she looked up again, the men were gone.  
She wondered idly if he was enjoying making her sit there as he cleaned at his bloody tools. He walked towards her, purposefully, but she couldn't tear her gaze from the human pieces and lighter fluid he had in his hands, and she suddenly had an urge to cry.  
She forced it back, refusing to show him any weakness,  
_He's just playing a game. He's just playing a game. He's just playing a game.  
_He dropped the pieces in front of her, and squatted down next to what looked like a pit. She jumped when flames flared upwards, and she closed her eyes against the smell of burning skin and boiling blood.  
The man watched with his back to her as he tossed in pieces, he seemed unbelievably focused and it sickened her, to see he was getting such a fascination out of it. She wanted to grab one of his tools and stab him to death while his guard was down, but she was still feeling uncoordinated and slightly out of control of her body, although clarity was slowly returning.

She jumped, when she felt something squeeze the back of her heel.  
_What the hell?_  
She looked back and blinked a few times, trying to decide whether or not she was imagining things. Because…there…was Sam and Spike, harnessed in on the side of the cliff.  
Sam made a shushing gesture towards her, and she looked back over to the butcher who was only about 5 feet away.  
After a few seconds, the butcher looked towards her and smiled, a fire in his eyes.  
"You've been awfully quiet."  
"Do you expect me to beg for my life?" She asked sarcastically, feeling a new surge of confidence now that she knew she wasn't alone.  
"It would be a pleasant turn of events."  
"Don't plan on it."  
His eyes darkened,  
"Come here." He said, Jules looked at him, but didn't move from her spot.  
"I'm not your dog."  
The butcher picked up one of his knives, and her eyes widened,  
"Don't make me come get you." He snarled.  
She stood, and the butcher pointed the knife at her throat from about a foot away. Although the weapon wasn't touching her, she knew that with his skilly the man was just as deadly with a knife 10 feet away as he was up close.  
Only a second later, she heard Sarge's voice,  
"David Alvarado, drop your weapon!"  
Her strength left her, and again she felt tears prick at the corners of her eyes.  
She saw Wordy at Sarge's side, then three other team 3 members along with a small amount of somewhat familiar agents. She didn't dare look to where she was sure the snipers were, one she knew was Ed. But she knew with him, and another sniper… this was the safest she had been in the last week.  
The butchers' eyes never left hers throughout the recent confrontation.  
"She's mine!" He growled, he began to step forward.  
"David. If you move forward, we _will_ shoot you." Sarge said.  
David smiled, _smiled, _then turned back to Sarge.  
"You really think that matters to me _Sergeant Parker_?" He asked venomously. The teams didn't move in, knowing that David was still too close to Jules for her safety. She knew he'd done that on purpose, not only because it kept her in his grasp, but it kept the officers at bay.  
Sarge didn't answer, they all knew…this man had nothing to lose, and there was a very good chance that he wasn't going to be willing to talk.  
He'd already murdered countless women, and was facing death-row anyhow.  
David continued to taunt Sarge and the others and Jules looked back to Sam and Spike. Sam gestured her towards them, and she knew she was supposed to fall if the going got tough.  
_Wonderful. Absolutely wonderful._ She thought sarcastically.  
She'd faced lethal situations on a daily basis, and she trusted Sam and Spike with her life as always, but falling backwards off a 200 ft. cliff –even if it was into their arms- wasn't at the top of her bucket list.  
She was broken from her thoughts when David roared,  
_"SHE'S MINE, I WON'T LET YOU TAKE HER FROM ME AGAIN!" _  
He swung back around, knife raised.  
"Jules!" Sam ordered.  
_Son of a-_  
She thought to herself, and without thinking about it –as she had been trained- let herself fall backwards off over the edge to her seemingly plausible death.  
~*~*~

Cliffie! Literally…0.o  
Hope you guys are liking 'The Brunette Butcher,' so far! (;  
Please Review! (They make me feel obligated to update faster.;)


	13. Explanation

Hey guys, so…I just needed to let you know, that right now I have some family issues going on, and that's why my new updates are coming in slowly. I promise though that I haven't given up my stories and I plan on finishing them. Again, I promise I'll update, I just hope you can be a little patient with me. It won't be long, I just wanted to explain the wait. I'm so sorry for any inconvenience, but stay updated, I'm still kicking (; Thank you for reading.  
-Nicki  
~*~*~


	14. Unresponsive

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Flashpoint or any of its characters, but this **_**is**_** my writing and should not be used without my permission. Thank you for reading! **_

_**-RM  
~*~*~**_

_Review of Last Chapter:_  
_She'd faced lethal situations on a daily basis, and she trusted Sam and Spike with her life as always, but falling backwards off a 200 ft. cliff –even if it was into their arms- wasn't at the top of her bucket list. She was broken from her thoughts when David roared,_

_"SHE'S MINE, I WON'T LET YOU TAKE HER FROM ME AGAIN!" He swung back around, knife raised. "Jules!" Sam ordered. Son of a- She thought to herself, and without thinking about it –as she had been trained- let herself fall backwards off over the edge to her seemingly plausible death.  
~*~*~_

"NOOOOO!" She heard David growl fiercely, as he grabbed for her, but he hadn't been expecting the move. Honestly, she hadn't been either. But, it wasn't like she could just duck…If David wanted her dead…she would die if she'd stayed up there.  
He was an excellent marksmen when throwing knives, and even worse, he knew the body anatomy as well as a doctor if not better…which meant that if he wanted to cripple her just for the time's being, he easily could.

She closed her eyes tightly as she felt her stomach jump to her throat. She knew that the fall wasn't long, but like said…She was falling backwards over a 200 ft. cliff.

_Shouldn't they have caught me already, why am I still falling? _ She wondered, toying with her worst fear, against her better judgment. She let out a startled gasp as the thought _whooshed_ from her mind when familiar arms wrapped around her waist, and Spike grabbed her behind her knees.  
"We've got her!"  
She took a second to catch her breath,  
"Oh my God." She choked. "I expect these things _on _the job, but off the clock, not so much."  
She felt Sam chuckle behind her, and Spike smiled at her, absolute relief shown in his eyes.  
"Spike…you figured it out." She sighed, gratefully.  
"I figured it out." He said quietly. "And thank god I did."  
"DAVID PUT YOUR WEAPON DOWN, OR WE WILL HAVE TO SHOOT YOU!" Sarge yelled, watching the subject's body posture closely. David turned, and Greg tensed as the subject looked over the edge at his now vulnerable teammates.  
David raised his arm, "Eddy, scorpio!" Sarge said, quickly.  
_**BANG.**_

Jules watched from below him as David raised the knife, aiming it towards Sam.  
_No.  
_"Sam!? You got her?" Spike yelled.  
"Yes!" Spike let her go, and she let out a startled gasp, Sam tightened his grip on her, wrapping her arms beneath hers.  
She was confused for a moment, but not long because in that second, she heard the loud bang that signaled that David had been shot. She watched as he balanced precariously on the edge, then hurtled over, hitting the cliff where she had just been…  
_That could have been bad. _She mused, then she made the mistake of looking down and saw David's body splatter against the ground, bile rose in her throat.  
"Please get me back on solid ground." She murmured, feeling nauseous.  
She felt a sudden jerk and let out a small squeak before she realized that her and Sam were moving upwards.  
She felt Ed and Wordy's hands on her as her and Sam reached the drop off. They tightened their grips and pulled her up over the edge.  
She looked back, and saw other Team 3 members help Spike and Sam back over.  
It was then that she couldn't hold it back anymore and tears filled her eyes.

…

Sam kept a close eye on Jules on the trip back, Spike stood at her side.  
She was nearly catatonic, and Sam wanted to talk to her more than anything, but he had to be careful, considering they were still surrounded by other SRU members.  
"How're you doin Jules?" He asked, gently.  
"I'm fine." She choked.  
Sam caught the look that Spike shot him,  
_Bull-shit._  
Sam nodded. Jules stared straight ahead, ignoring the exchange. She was more focused on just trying to keep down the urge to throw-up the contents of her stomach, which wasn't much.  
They made it back to the SUVs soon enough thought and Sam heard Greg in his ear,  
"Sam…" He nodded to Jules, and Sam nodded in reply, taking her small body and leading her to the passenger's side of one of the trucks.  
She buckled in, not looking at him, tears filled her eyes, and she wiped furiously at them, not wanting anyone to see her weakness, although right now, that was all that she was feeling.

Sam gave her a look and she knew that he could see right through her, but she also knew that he couldn't contradict what she was doing because the team could still hear him.  
He climbed in the driver's side and put the truck in drive and they began the trip back to civilization.

The bumps and turns along the way though did nothing to help Jules's nausea.  
"Sam…" He looked over at her quickly, responding to the tone in her voice,  
"Stop the car."  
"Wha-"  
"Please, stop the car!"  
He stopped it immediately, not questioning her and she practically fell out of the door and to her knees before getting violently sick.

"Oh no." Sam murmured.  
_Sam, what's going on?_ He heard Ed in his ear.  
"She's not doing well, Ed."  
_What do you mean? _Wordy supplied,  
"She's getting sick."  
Sam climbed out of the truck, running to the back and grabbing her a water, before making it over to her side. He pulled a hair tie from her wrist and pulled her hair up, and waited it out, wishing he could do something more than what he was.

He flinched, knowing that what she was throwing up was mostly stomach acid, she hadn't eaten anything since yesterday, most likely. Not soon enough it was over... He wrapped his arm around her waist, and pulled her up from the ground, helping her around to the back of the truck. Then helped her to sit in the back, he handed her the water, and she took it gratefully.

He pulled a protein bar out of a bag, and she made a face at it.  
"You need to eat something." He said, looking her in the eye. She was the first to look away, which was a first when it came to a disagreement between the two of them.  
She shook her head,  
"Jules…" He said, pleadingly.  
_Sam, put a mic on her._ -Sarge  
"Copy." He said, walking to the front of the car, grabbing a spare.  
She looked at him, as he walked back around, but didn't fight him as he tipped her chin up, and pressed the earpiece into her ear.

"She's got it in, boss." Sam said.

_Jules, you need to eat something. I know how hard it is right now, but you're in shock, let us help you. _

"Sarge…" She croaked in protest, and the team flinched internally at the pain in her voice.  
But Sarge stayed stoic,  
"Jules."  
She sighed, and held out her hand, so that Sam could sit the now unwrapped food in her hand.  
She made another face at it before taking a timid bite. Her stomach rolled again, but she kept it down, because at the same time, it helped to soothe her throat and made her feel more like herself.  
Afterwards, she saw that Sam was smiling at her,  
"Thank you." He mouthed to her, and she rolled her eyes, causing him to smile again, he covered his mic with his hand,  
"There's the Jules, I know."  
She sighed, as he helped her out, supporting her with his body as things spun for a second.  
They got back in the car, and she pulled her knees up to her chest, resting her chin on them.  
Sam glanced over at her occasionally, drinking in the fact that she was _here _and she was _safe. _But, he was still worried, her skin was a pasty pale, and she looked feverish and well…traumatized, which she most likely was, although she would never admit to it.

When they made it back to the side of the street, they stopped and Sam heard Jules murmur,  
"_No, no, no._" When she caught sight of the ambulances and Spike's reluctant form being herded into one.  
_Yes. _She heard Ed in her ear.  
Sarge walked over to their SUV, and him and Ed, helped her down, before leading her –against her will, she mused- to an ambulance.

Sam watched, and his heart sank as the EMTs pressed something into Jules's arm and seconds later, she faded into unconsciousness.  
~*~*~

After the teams debriefed at the Barn, Team 3 left, as exhausted as the rest of them.  
A feeling of sorrow, and fear pulsed throughout the atmosphere of the room for the remaining Team 1 members. Wordy, Sam, Ed, and Sarge.  
"Do you think she's gonna recover, boss?" Sam asked.  
"What do you think, Sam?" Sarge replied, meeting the younger man's eyes.  
Sam sighed, "I think she's Jules, and she'll attempt to fake her way through it, whether she realizes it or not." He felt like he was betraying her, but the team knew her well already. The other three nodded.

"She'll be unhappy to hear it, but Spike -maybe not as much as her- will both need therapy."  
Sam nodded, and Ed put his hands over his face for a moment.  
"Let's go see how they're doing." Ed suggested, before they walked into the locker room to take on their civilian roles again.  
"Sam, why don't you ride with me?" Sarge suggested as they began to walk out to their vehicles.  
""I can ride my-"  
"It's supposed to rain, come on."  
Sam sighed, looking up at the clouds, knowing fully well that the rain wasn't going to fall for at least another hour.  
He fell into the passenger's side of Sarge's car, and Sarge began the drive to the hospital,  
"Talk to me, Sam." He said gently after about 10 minutes.  
Sam looked up at him, and wiped his face of any emotions,  
"I'm fine, Sarge."  
Greg scoffed, "Between you and Jules."  
Sam sighed, a small smile breaking through his defense, then he became solemn once more,  
"I feel like I failed her last night, Greg."  
Sarge sighed, seeming to have expected it.  
"I know, but what were you supposed to do?"  
"I don't know…figure out that that cop wasn't the real deal."  
"Sam you _and_ her were running on about 3 hours of sleep, you thought you were both safe, David hit you while your guard was down, and there is _nothing_ you could have done about that."  
Sam sighed, looking out the window, "Yeah, I guess so." He knew Sarge was right, but he still felt terrible for what had happened to Jules, and he wanted someone to blame.  
"If you're searching for someone to blame. Why not blame David? It's not like he had a small piece in this."  
Sam looked over to him, shocked.  
"It's like you read my mind sometimes." He said, quietly.  
"You may be a former soldier, Sam. But, I'm good at reading people."  
Sam nodded, then put what Sarge had suggested to work in his mind, he clenched and unclenched his fists. Because David _was_ to blame, and he was glad that he was dead. Sam just wished that it had been a slower death. He knew that was a bad path to take when thinking about this kind of thing. But, god…what he could have done to that man for hurting Jules…

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath as they parked in front of the hospital,  
"Are you okay to go in?" Sarge asked, Sam sighed, wanting more than anything to See Jules.  
"Yeah, I'm good."  
Sarge smiled in exasperation, and they walked into the hospital.

Jules was still unconscious when they arrived, so they visited with Spike first who at the receptions desk, signing himself out. He turned and met the rest of the teams' eyes and smiled sadly,  
"Shouldn't you at least stay the night, Spike?" Wordy asked.  
Spike shook his head, "To be honest, I just really want to go home."  
The team nodded in, understanding,  
"How're you doing?" Ed asked, putting a hand on Spike's shoulder.  
Spike nodded slowly, "Okay. But…Jules…"  
"What's going on?"  
"Her vitals were lower than they wanted, and her oxygen levels were dropping. When she threw up, it was mostly bile and it's causing her throat to swell up. They still have her sedated and have her on an oxygen stem. Right now though, their newest concern is trying to get some nutrients and fluids in her."  
Sarge nodded, sighing, miserably. Jules was practically his daughter, just like the rest of the team, she was a family member.

They made their way back to her room, and the doctor informed them that she had been fighting the anesthesia –typical Jules- and they had had to push up her dosage a little so she most likely wouldn't be waking up until later that night, but that there was still a good chance that she could hear them.

They took turns, being in the room with her…because talking to someone who was 'asleep' was somewhat uncomfortable when others could hear you. Sam opted to go last, because then he could stay with her longer, and not be noticed.

He looked at her small body lying beneath the blankets, and he shuttered as the sight reminded him slightly of how worn out she had looked a few days after being shot. He just hoped that what had happened recently didn't have drastically similar effects as far as keeping her out of her job went.  
~*~*~

There is another chapter, so stay with me. (: Hope you've enjoyed 'The Brunette Butcher' so far.  
Please Rate and Review. I like to hear from you guys.

-RMNicki-  
~*~*~


	15. Trust Me

_**Disclaimer :  
I don't own Flashpoint or any of it's characters, but this **__is__** my writing and should not be used without my permission…Thank you!**_

Review of Last Chapter:  
Sam looked at her small body lying beneath the blankets, and he shuttered as the sight reminded him slightly of how worn out she had looked a few days after being shot. He just hoped that what had happened recently didn't have drastically similar effects as far as keeping her out of her job went.

**Jules**

She felt as though she couldn't break through the thick fog that was her restless sleep filled nightmares.

In this one, she was back on that cliff, only this time…Sam and Spike weren't perched on the edge of side of the cliff, prepared to save her.  
She was alone.

_David walked towards her, the jagged bladed saw in hand. Heds given her more of the drug. But, she refused to give him what he wanted,  
"I'm not going to beg you for my life, you sick bastard." She said, feeling that her voice was weaker than she wanted.  
"Oh, sweetheart. I'm not looking to make you beg. The screaming is what I like."  
Jules took a step back, the breath catching in her throat…  
No, no, no. He lunged forward suddenly and caught her around her waist as she stumbled precariously close to the edge of the cliff.  
"Careful sweetheart, you nearly fell." He grabbed her and threw her over his shoulder.  
"NO!" She screamed, pounding her fists against his back with all the strength she could muster while being incapacitated.  
"LET. ME. GO."  
He threw her down, _hard_ on the wanna-be examination table, and the back of her head snapped against it, making her yelp as pain pierced her thoughts.  
When her vision cleared again, she was tied to the table by tight metal cuffs.  
Her immobility, and restricted movement caused an absolute fear to flood her veins as a new, former feeling from her past consumed her…  
Helplessness.  
She let out a sharp, terror-filled scream as David perched above her raising the uneven, over used blade above her right shin.  
"__**NO!**__" She shrieked.  
~*~*~_

**Sam  
**Sam sat beside Jules's bed unable to make himself leave. He was a tangle of restlessness.

He opened his eyes from where he'd been lying on a cot next to her bed, when he heard a small whimper that he immediately knew was her.  
When she began to struggle, he jumped up immediately, and crossed the small distance to her bed.  
"Jules…" He said quietly, not wanting to scare her.

Suddenly, she screamed, and began to thrash. He grabbed her wrists, and pinned them to either side of her head, not wanting her to hurt herself worse.  
"_Jules!_ Wake up!"  
She stilled momentarily, tears rolling down her cheeks, and her eyes fluttered open hesitantly, her breathing sharp and uneven.  
"S-Sam?" She breathed.  
"It's me baby, you're alright, it was a nightmare."  
He looked at his watch,  
"It's 1am you've been sleeping for about 3 hours."  
She nodded, and he saw tears fill her eyes, and her begin to force them back.  
She reached to wipe them away and he grabbed her wrists.  
She immediately protested,  
"Sam!..." She whispered, trying to pull her hands free to hide her pain from him.  
"No." He said softly. A small sob tore threw her body and she began to shake.  
"No, no. I can't feel this." She rebuked herself, fighting him,  
"_Stop." _He growled, gaining her attention back, completely shocked by the tone of his voice.  
"You can not always be unbreakable. That doesn't happen Julianna Callaghan, and if you try, sooner or later you will combust."  
Hey doe brown eyes were wide as she stared into his baby blue ones,  
"Jules, _I_ want to be the one you confide in. Trust me with your thoughts, and your feelings. Trust me."  
She closed her eyes and tears streamed down,  
"He almost…he was gonna – cut me to pieces Sam. _While I was awake!" _  
She began to shake violently once more and the heart monitor sped up.  
He wrapped his arms around her waist, and crawled into her bed, pulling her into his lap. She couldn't fight him, she wouldn't be able to, even if she wanted to.  
Instead, she curled into his chest, pulling her knees to her own chest as he wrapped his arms around her.  
He rocked her gently, and although she felt weak and once more…helpless, she didn't give a damn, because she wasn't _alone._  
"Ssh ssh ssh." He said, running his hand up and down her back, "You need to calm down, or the doctors will come back in and give you another shot to calm you down." He said gently.  
"I wouldn't let them!" She said in indignation, remembering the humiliation she'd endured when the doctors had given her the shot in her backside when she'd fought them on the necessary medication.  
Sam sighed into her hair,  
"Sorry Jules, but I would most likely hold you down, if you needed it. And something tells me I would win in a fight right now."  
She tried to pull away, but he tightened his arms around her and after a few seconds she gave in and Sam smiled as he realized that distracting her had worked. Her heart monitor had slowed to nearly normal.  
He pulled the blanket up over their bodies, and repositioned them so that her back was pressed to his front and soon her breath evened out and she fell asleep. Her mind free of the night terrors….because Sam…was right there…enduring it with her.

**4 days later…Jules is released. **

"Sam…" Sarge said, attracting this younger teammates attention. Sam walked over to him.  
"I want you to keep an eye on her." Greg said.  
Sam nodded understandingly, "I was planning on it Sarge." He said, his mouth turning up in a half smile.  
"You're the only one she'll confide in and I want her to be able to get all her thoughts out…She'll need a clear mind if she wants to return to the job two weeks from now. She'll need a therapist"  
Sam nodded, his eyes widened for a moment, "That one's going to be difficult, but you got it."

Greg clapped him on the shoulder, "Good Luck." He smirked.

Sam stood at the stove making one of the only things he knew how to make… Mac & Cheese. He smiled as he realized how dependent he had been on delivery and boxed foods when he'd been spending most of his time in his apartment.

He heard a loud bang upstairs, like something had dropped to the floor, above his head.  
"Jules!?" He called. When there was no answer, he tried once more, "Jules! You alright!?" Again no answer. He turned the stove off immediately and skipped steps on his way up the stairs.  
He walked into the bedroom, standing in the door way, looking around the room. When he didn't see her, he closed his eyes for a few seconds, and heard a quiet sobbing in the bathroom. He made long strides over to it, and found the door locked.

"Jules! Let me in!" He said, all that sounded was a quiet sob.  
"Son of a-" He said, running into an office nearby and grabbing a paper clip and a letter opener.  
He ran back into the bedroom, and knelt in front of the door, picking the lock expertly.

Once the door was open, he shoved against it. Some towels had been propped against the door to make it nearly impossible to open…most likely on purpose. He heard Jules's crying and felt a renewed vigor to get into the steamy room.  
After seconds, it was open, and he heard a yelp of protest as the shower was yanked open and the cold chill hit Jules's naked body, whom was crouched on the big shower floor, in the corner.  
She tightened her arms around herself as he took turned the water off and stepped in, wrapping his arms beneath her soaked shaking body, and picked her up.  
She squirmed in his arms,  
"Put me down." She protested.  
"No." He replied, setting her on her back on the bed. She went to get up.  
"Stay there." He said, in a tone that rendered no arguments.  
She was completely shocked to say the least but did as he'd said.  
"I need clothes though." She protested as he dried her. She frowned at him, not liking being pampered…as usual.  
"No. You don't." He said softly, as he stripped himself of his now wet clothes. Her eyes widened, her throat suddenly dry.  
He picked her up in his arms and pulled her against his naked body. She sighed, and her mind told her to struggle out of his arms, and be angry. But, God, only Sam could do this to her.  
Make all of her rational thoughts just wash away.

This time it wasn't lust she felt. Instead it was an overwhelming sadness that choked her and she began to cry once more. His arms tightened,  
"Ssh…" He coaxed,  
"I-I'm sorry. I shouldn't be crying!"  
"Don't say that." He chastised softly, "Talk to me."  
"But I-"  
"Sweetheart..Let me help you."  
Normally she would have protested the nickname 'sweetheart' fiercely, but this time it made her crumble.  
"I don't even know, Sam!" She cried.  
"And that's alright." He replied. "You don't need to have a reason. You just need to acknowledge to yourself when you're hurting rather than ignore and deny it."  
"I like hiding it better." She sighed.  
"I don't." He replied softly, "And besides, I can always tell anyways."  
He sighed, playfully but serious at the same time, "And from now on, I am going to point it out,every time you try to hide it from me."  
Her mouth opened in a small 'o'.  
"You wouldn't!" She replied, knowing that he would almost always see right through her.  
"I would." He replied, "It's not healthy."  
She swallowed but nodded…hating to admit that he was right.

"You're a pain in my ass." She said playfully.  
He kissed the tip of her nose,  
"I'm supposed to be." He replied, then moved to her lips. She giggled against him, a rarity that Sam soaked in.  
"You are so beautiful."  
She smiled, and blushed, another rarity,  
"Stop!" She complained.  
"Stop what?" He asked.  
"Being, being – you!" She laughed.  
He tipped her chin up and kissed her once more.  
"Would you still love me, if I couldn't mess with your mind?"  
She grinned, "I don't know you have a pretty nice body…"  
He took on a fake pained look,  
"Ouch!"  
She smiled and pushed him onto his back, leaning down and claiming his lips with hers, running her fingers down his chest.  
"I love you."  
"Good, because you're going to have to put up with me for a while… while you….heal…" He sad carefully.  
Her eyes filled with confusion,  
"Heal?"  
He sighed, seemingly in pain, and she crawled off of him, and turned the lamp on.  
She met his eyes, nearly nervous.  
"What do you mean, _heal?"_ She asked, skeptically.  
He closed his eyes, then opened them and met hers unflinchingly,  
"You're going to see a therapist, Jules." He said, gauging her reaction carefully.  
"_What?!"_

He repeated himself, then added on sadly…hating it…  
"Sarge's orders."  
She blanched, "You can't be serious!"  
He swallowed, "I am…"  
She seemed at a loss for words, then she stood, her naked body mystifying him, but only for a moment.  
"Where are you going?" He asked, standing.  
"The guest room." She replied, blankly. He expected a reaction like this, he took a deep breath,  
"I'm sorry, Jules…" He said, but took a step back, to show her that she was in control, as he knew that she had just had any sense of control she felt in her life, sucked away.

He sat on the bed, and she turned towards him shocked.  
He reached his arms towards her and she eyed him confusedly.  
"I'm not going to kill you or anything." He said in a gently sarcastic tone. "Please…come here."  
She melted under his gaze, and walked tentatively towards him, and curled her small frame into his arms.  
"You're still in trouble." She said softly, and felt him chuckle.  
"I figured."

**Here you go guys! Sorry it took so long…family drama. :/ Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, Rate & Review, please? (: **


	16. The End

**Disclaimer: I do not own Flashpoint or any of it's characters, but this is my writing and should not be used without my permission, thank you! **

**-RMNicki-**

Review of Last Chapter:  
"I'm sorry, Jules…" He said, but took a step back, to show her that she was in control, as he knew that she had just had any sense of control she felt in her life, sucked away.

He sat on the bed, and she turned towards him shocked. He reached his arms towards her and she eyed him confusedly. "I'm not going to kill you or anything." He said in a gently sarcastic tone. "Please…come here." She melted under his gaze, and walked tentatively towards him, and curled her small frame into his arms. "You're still in trouble." She said softly, and felt him chuckle. "I figured."

**Sam**

He held her for the rest of the night, both of them restless. Sam was grateful that they didn't have work tomorrow.  
"I have to see a therapist." She stated, after a few minutes. He continued to run his hand through her nearly dry hair, and waited for her to continue.  
"Why?" She whispered.  
He smiled slightly although she couldn't see him,  
"Well…you were abducted against your will…and, he…tried to…"  
"Cut me to pieces, burn me, then most likely eat me?" Jules finished sourly, nearly no emotion in her voice, as she forced herself to shut down.  
Sam tensed, then with a speed that caught her off guard, he was suddenly straddling her hips, his hands pinned hers above her head at her wrists.  
She struggled in his grip, then frowned at him,  
"Let me go."  
"No." He replied, plainly.  
She groaned and gave one last experimental tug at her wrists, but he wasn't going anywhere.  
"Why?"  
"Because you're shutting down."  
"Yeah…" She replied, "I guess."  
"You're not allowed to do that anymore." He stated.  
Hey eyed widened, "Not allowed?" She scoffed.  
"Not. Allowed." He said simply, her eyes widened and she stared up at him in confusion, where had this come from? She could clearly tell that he wasn't kidding.  
"And if I do?" She challenged, unable to stop herself.  
He leaned down so that the tip of his nose was touching hers,  
"We'll leave that to be determined when it happens." He said threateningly, and suddenly she felt like she couldn't breathe.  
He was _serious!_  
She swallowed, "Okay." She wheezed, lamely.  
"Good." He whispered, leaning down and capturing her lips in his. She sighed, and kissed him back deeply as he replaced all of her other thoughts with lust for _him._  
~*~*~

Sam sat in the passengers' seat the next morning as she drove to the office that Sarge had given her directions to.  
"So…why are you coming with me again?" She asked.  
"Because, I don't trust you to actually go." He replied, mockingly.  
She stuck her tongue out at him, and he grinned at the opportunity to fluster her,  
"Oh…if we weren't driving right now…"  
She choked on the air she was breathing in.  
"Stop doing that to me!" She chastised.  
He smiled innocently, "Doing what?"

"Making all the…sexual innuendos."  
"I didn't."  
"You're full of it, Sam."  
He smiled having distracted her until they were in the parking lot, "We're here."  
She scowled, "Yay."  
He smiled and walked to her side as she procrastinated, and pulled open her door, grabbing her around the waist, and pulling her out as she protested.  
She kicked and squirmed in his arms, trying to smother her laughing,  
"You're going to make it like I'm trying to drag you off and rape you." He said in her ear.  
"It's not rape if you enjoy it." She whispered back and he stopped in his tracks.  
This time it was her that smiled, victoriously. "I'll see you later." She said, then walked into the office doors.  
He hid his emotions at the unbearable thought that he was in public. And Jules knew _exactly_ what she had done to him.  
He went back to the jeep, and waited patiently for the hour to tick by.  
He hadn't realized he'd fallen asleep, until he'd felt a pair of soft lips press to his. He gasped, and nearly reacted until he realized that it was Jules.  
"You scared the hell out of me." He wheezed.  
"Good." She smiled, "Consider it payback, soldier."  
He grinned, "For what?"  
"Everything."  
He simply laughed, "Alright."  
She moved over and fell back into the drivers' seat, and started the car.  
~*~*~

**2 weeks later**

Jules took a deep breath as she walked back into the barn.  
"Hey!" Spike said walking down the hallway, wrapping her in a hug. She smiled and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, only to protest loudly as he lifted her into the air.  
Suddenly she found herself facing the ground and she let out a small scream as she realized she's actually been _tossed over his shoulder!_  
"Spike! Put me down!" She ordered, struggling in his grip. Oh she was going to kill him for this later. Her light weight was really becoming annoying.  
Nothing she did got her any closer to freedom from Spike's grip though, until to her utter embarrassment, she found herself in the briefing room with the rest of the team.  
"Found her!" Spike announced.  
"Gah! Spike, put me down!"  
She saw Sam's face and he was grinning and enjoying what was happening in front of him_ way _too much.  
Spike put her on her feet, and he just barely dodged a punch to the stomach…or maybe a little lower.  
"_That_ was police brutality." She said, straightening her clothes.  
Spike looked to Sarge, "I didn't see anything." Sarge said.  
"Sarge!" Jules said, mockingly angry and he smiled.  
She turned to Spike and tried to remain serious while looking at his grinning face, "Next time we're in the gun range, I'm going to accidentally shoot you."  
"It's good to have you back Jules." Wordy said after a few seconds, and she smiled, "It's good to be back."  
"Will you come with me for a second." Sarge said to her after a short reunion with the team. She nodded and followed him back out of the briefing room.  
"What is it?" She asked.  
"Sam says you've been going to the therapy sessions?" He asked.  
She nodded, "Yes."  
"How are they going?"  
Jules grimaced, "I don't like them."  
"Good." Sarge said, "I aim to make you miserable…" He said sarcastically, then continued, "You probably don't like them because she makes you open up to her."  
Jules nodded, and rolled her eyes, "Yeah you could say that."  
He smiled and gestured to her locker room,  
"Go suit up."  
Her eyed widened, "I get to work today?" She asked, having not expected it, it was just supposed to be a check in.  
"I don't see why not. You seem pretty stable to me. Welcome back Jules."  
She repressed her squeal of happiness –which would have been _very_ un-Jules like- and jogged to her locker room to get dressed.  
The familiar fabric and feel of her uniform brought tears to her eyes, and she smiled in the mirror.  
_"I'm back._" She whispered to herself,  
"You sure are." She jumped and swore when she heard another voice.  
Sam.  
"Geezus Sam." She whispered, and he smiled mischievously, walking over to her to wrap his arms around her waist.  
"Welcome back."  
"Thank God." She whispered.  
He laughed, "What you don't like staying up with me at night?"  
"Oh it's definitely not that." She replied. "It's just so boring the times when you _aren't_ there. I need excitement in m-"  
_**Team One, Hot Call! **_They heard Winnie's voice over the intercom.**  
**Jules smiled, and Sam kissed her forehead,  
"I've missed that."  
_**The End.**_  
_**~*~*~  
So, guys, I hope you liked the story! I absolutely had a lot of fun writing it, and I think it's my best story so far. And, although I didn't get as many as reviews as I wanted, I still enjoyed writing it, and I don't regret it what-so-ever!(: So, anyways, thank you for reading! And, I'm sorry it's over (;  
Please, review! I like to hear what you guys have to say!  
~*~*~**_


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